Slithice - All Pick
by sasyst
Summary: Dota fanfiction: The Naga Siren loses a town war because of a shitty team. Then her opponent from the war asks her to join him and his team in the next one and the Naga realizes how much fun it can be to fight together with friends. When the war is over, will they part ways or will the Naga decide to stay?(this is a romantic story)
1. Prolog

Dota

Slithice

All Pick

by Aditu

The town had two circles. An inner one, which was the safe zone, and an outer one, both surrounded by walls. In the outer circle was the heart of the town that held the town with all its buildings alive. It was guarded with two towers. Around the heart were several houses and barracks, all on higher ground than the area outside the town. The inner circle was only used by merchants and as regeneration point for the top soldiers, the heroes. The merchants sold mostly weapons and armour suited for everyone, who would fight for their home. And fighting they did.

The town and its people were in constant war with their neighbour town and had to defend themselves endlessly. So everyone, male or female, was trained to fight and then sent into battle. It was the only thing they could do, otherwise they would have nothing left. If the heart was destroyed, all buildings of the town would fall apart.

The main goal was to keep the heart of their town safe. And the second one was to attack the enemy, maybe even to destroy the heart of their town. But it was not easy. They had skilled fighters as well and it was an endless struggle, who would become victor of this war. You could not tell, who would win, because the two towns with their soldiers and heroes were equally strong. The balance of power always shifted a little. Depending on which hero was on the field and what items the heroes had been able to buy, the balance could shift with every fight. The heroes were hired from outside to support a town and its soldiers. Both towns were able to hire five heroes, whom they paid and who were resurrected inside of the safe zone with a delay, if they died in one of the fights.

At the present, both towns had still all their towers, in and around the high ground of the heart. There were three ways between the two towns and on each way were two towers of each party. And one more at the three entrances to the towns. If you wanted to destroy the heart you had to get the three towers and one way down and then the two in front of the heart. Five towers minimum. That was not easy to do, because they had some kind of self-defence system, which started firing, as soon as an enemy soldier got into range. Those shots hurt and could easily kill someone, if he or she wasn't strong enough.

Most times, two or three heroes would try to destroy a tower with some soldiers together, to divide the fire power between them all. That way everybody would get injured, but nobody would die. The problem here was, the enemy had soldiers as well, and heroes as strong. They had to kill them first, preferably not under the tower, but outside of its shooting range. Then they could destroy the building.


	2. Chapter 1

As it was, the enemy heroes had already destroyed almost all the towers and were currently attacking the two last remaining ones, right in front of the heart.

Slithice, the Naga Siren, stood behind the heart, at the entrance to the safe zone, and waited for her allied heroes to be resurrected in said zone, so they could start an attack. They had been killed in their latest attempt to push the enemy out of their town and after a delay they would be alive again, ready to continue the battle. It was something these town wars entailed, the resurrection after every death inside of the safe zone.

More and more enemy soldiers arrived, all going for the two last towers, but alone Slithice wouldn't be able to prevent them from destroying the buildings. What she could do was lure the soldiers away, but the heroes wouldn't be so easily distracted.

With one of her abilities Slithice was able to create three images of herself. Those images she now sent forward to attack the enemy soldiers. Alone their presence did damage to all opponents around them, because Slithice had bought an item called Radiance. This item radiated damage around the bearer and all his illusions or images. It was a steady damage output but the damage wasn't enough to have a real effect on the enemy heroes. For the soldiers it was enough, especially since they followed these images away from the towers, around the heart, right to Slithice. She then killed them all and sent her images forward again to catch the next wave of enemy soldiers.

But she wasn't that lucky a second time. The strongest of the enemy heroes, an admiral of some kind or maybe a pirate, wouldn't let her lure the soldiers away again. He attacked the first illusion and with his curved sword he was able to create a splash that hit the other two as well. He did so much damage with this splash and his one hit that all three images evaporated.

Frowning with dislike at the admiral, the Naga waited until the ability to create the images was ready and then she sent them forward again. She would really like to go in and _attack_ the enemy heroes but alone she would be killed within seconds.

Her allies appeared one after the other and right when the last tower fell, the heart of the town now unprotected, the last one was resurrected. Slithice didn't hesitate. She started to sing, calling the powers of the deep sea to make all enemies sleep. They would sleep until she stopped singing, unable to do anything. They couldn't be attacked during this duration, either, but she and her allies could position themselves to their advantage. Slithice created her images while singing and let them surround the admiral. Exactly at the moment she finished her song, she cast a tidal wave around her body and the bodies of her images. The wave did damage to all it hit and lessened their armour, making them more susceptible for the following attacks. The Naga Siren started to hit the admiral with her blades, her Radiance doing additional damage. She hoped the others of her team were fighting as well and she really hoped they were doing something useful.

The admiral summoned a flying ship that passed above Slithice and hit the ground behind her. It stunned two of her allies at impact and those two were dead only seconds later. A third one used the time where the enemies were focused on killing the immobilized heroes to get into the safe zone and the fourth one was nowhere to be seen. Slithice hissed in anger and backed away from the admiral. She took her images with her but with the next hit of the man his sword created the splash, dealing surround damage, and the illusions vanished, leaving the Naga alone against the five enemy heroes in front of her. It seemed her allies had achieved nothing because they looked all five to be uninjured.

The images had given her some protection because they disguised where the real Naga was. Now she turned, ready for the incoming attack, because no way would she be able to get into the safe zone. The admiral had an ability to get her back to a marked spot and she could run as fast as she wanted, she would just appear in front of him after a few seconds. So she could just as well stay where she was and go down with a fight. She looked at the man, her head held high and her weapons raised, pointing at him.

"As implacable foes go you were top notch." He said. It was an acknowledgement of her skill in this town war, though in the end it had gained her nothing.

Two of the enemy heroes turned towards the heart and joined their soldiers by attacking it. The other two flanked the admiral but they didn't advance. They stared at each other, Slithice on one side and the admiral with his two allies on the other. Then the man grinned, exactly at the second were the heart caved in, stones crumpling down, and a shockwave shoved them all back a few feet.

A giant hole in the earth was now where the heart had been. The war was over, her town had lost. It was really sad because she had been extremely good. But she alone hadn't been able to make up for all the mistakes her allies had made. She was only one after all.

With a last look at the destroyed heart, at her failure in this war, she left the battle ground.

Slithice appeared on a small platform surrounded by a swamp. It was a little higher with a small path leading up, to prevent it from being flooded after a rainy season. In the east the swamp gave way to grassy steppes, in the north mountains were rising high into the sky, in the west, far in the distance, the sun was shimmering on the water of the sea, and in the south the swamp changed slowly into a forest. That was her favourite place, where the first trees were growing but the ground was still peppered with many small ponds. She liked to sit in the shadows of the trees, her tail splashing in the water of one of the ponds while she sang song after song.

Slithice created her images, as some kind of protection, and glided down the path from the platform. Then she turned south, her destination definitely the forest. She would reflect on the war, think about what had gone wrong and why, where she had made mistakes and where she had been good. She took her time to think about all the fights in the war to get better. To be able to erase all her mistakes so she wouldn't repeat them in the next war. Of course the town wars were more like a game but she didn't want to lose in a game either. And some of the mistakes she made there could also be made in the real world, so recognising them in a town war could as well safe her life one day in a real fight.

With her three images she crossed the swamp. She faded her surroundings out, the fact that she was shielded by her illusions giving her the sense of safety. Most creatures would only attack someone who was alone but retreated when they saw four instead of one. She fared rather well with that strategy and she reached the first trees totally undisturbed.

She didn't have to watch her step either, because though it was a swamp, she was half fish and she would glide through water and mud alike. She simply couldn't get stuck, the swamp was too much like her natural surroundings to be dangerous.

She turned to the right. The ground got harder and the trees bigger. Slithice passed two smaller pools before she reached her favourite one. She neared the edge of the water and sat down. The tip of her tail rested in the water while she sat near enough that she could splash with her hands. Her blades rested next to her body, always in reach, while she enjoyed the cool wetness on her skin. She took a deep breath and began to replay the town war in her mind.

The images were arranged around the Naga Siren. That way she would have a split second while an enemy attacked an illusion to grab her blades and to ready for the fight.

Slithice let her fingers trail through the water, creating small ripples on the surface of the slightly muddy liquid. The pool wasn't deep but the bottom of it wasn't discernible. Even the fin at the end of her tail was only dimly visible through the green brown water.

But she didn't care. The water felt good nonetheless and Slithice liked the sounds of the forest mixed with the sounds of the swamp. The rustling of leaves together with the buzzing of the mosquitos. The birds singing next to croaking frogs. The smell of trees swirling together with mud and water. And she liked the shadows underneath the trees, creating flickering pictures of light and shadow and causing slightly humid coolness that almost caressed her mostly exposed skin.

Slowly relaxing she began to hum one of her favourite songs. She decided she hadn't done anything wrong in the first half of the war she had participated in. She had done her job and she had had the essential items at the right time. Maybe she could have stayed closer with her support from time to time, but it wasn't really her job to be a bodyguard for some incompetent noob.

Later she had definitely expected too much from her team mates. Seeing her support she should have guessed their skill level. Instead she had been too offensive, using her Song of the Siren not as escape ability but as a way to initiate an attack. It hadn't worked very well. And from there on they had been on the skids. Slithice had definitely not been able to cope with the lack of initiative and skill of her team. And she hadn't been able to compensate it. Maybe it had been due to too little communication. Or maybe she should just have kept going on her own, ignoring how the enemy raped her team mates. She would have easily been able to destroy all their towers on her own and maybe even to lure them away from her allied heroes. But they were a team after all and so she had participated in the team fight. Which they had all lost.

During the fights she had done nothing wrong as well, of that she was sure. So it wasn't her fighting skills she had to overthink but maybe her strategy. And her social skills, though that was something that would only work if her team mates communicated with her as well. But maybe she should try.

Slithice heard footsteps in the forest. Someone was approaching. Someone with solid boots on his feet, based on the sounds he made. She remained seated, pretending she hadn't heard anything, while all her muscles were tense, ready to grab her blades and attack. The footsteps stopped and for a second nothing happened. The illusions remained motionless and the stranger didn't move any further. He didn't attack either.

"Naga Siren."

At the mentioning of her name she looked up. The admiral from the town war was standing there, next to an illusion. He was looking right at her, his stance relaxed, his sword sheathed, thumbs hooked into his belt. He really looked like a pirate, his clothes slightly shabby, a full beard covering his face, and black hair, standing up from his head mussily. Slithice already knew that his sword was a curved blade, like a pirate blade. His whole appearance was a bit rugged and left the impression of a man often exposed to unfavourable weather. Together with the way he held himself he seemed to be extremely solid, firm as a rock and unmoved, come rain, come sunshine.

Since he didn't give the impression that he wanted to attack her, Slithice remained seated, her hand resuming its slide through the water.

"Hey sailor.

"You did well in the town war. And I have a request for you."

A second passed where the admiral just stared at her. Slithice raised her brows.

"Thank you?"

Another second passed.

"You are very beautiful." The admiral said, his voice deep and steady.

The Naga Siren blinked, then she laughed softly. "You are a dangerous man, aren't you? Now, what is your request?"

"Not one to be twisted around one's little finger? Well, I wanted to ask you to join me in the next town war, this time in my team. I think together we can rock this war. I was definitely impressed by your skills, you just had bad luck with the rest of your team."

Slithice thought about it for a moment, her eyes following the movement of her fingers, the water flowing over her skin. She liked the wars, because nothing was real there. She could forget everything that had happened in the real world and just live in the moment. Nothing she did in such a war had an impact on the world or her life and that made it unbelievably easy. She was carefree in the world of the two towns. And it wasn't as if she got any new clues to follow in her quest. She was free to do what she wanted. It would just extend the time until she finished her quest and could return to her race, the Slithereen. But what were a few more days after centuries of searching?

And to have such a powerful ally as the admiral? It would definitely be more fun than the last war had been. She knew the fighting style the man used, had seen his abilities. And vice versa. She pondered her mind for a second if she might have a grudge against the man because he was the reason her team had lost the town war, but if she had to be honest, she didn't care. Of course it was important for her to win the war when she signed in, but it wasn't as if she was in a bad temper for days on end after she had lost one.

So she nodded. With a fluent move she stood up, took her weapons and faced the admiral. Her images turned towards him as well, so four Naga Sirens were now looking at him. He was not in the least disturbed by it, or maybe he just didn't show it.

Instead he held his hand out. "I'm Kunkka, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore. I'm pleased to have you in our team. We are already four and we were looking for a fifth hero to complete our setup. You'll meet the others at town."

Slithice put one sword down again and took his hand. A short shake, his hand warm and his grip strong. "Ready to go?"

And off they went, back to the platform from which the Naga Siren had started her earlier town war. They headed through the swamp, Slithice just slithering through the mud of the puddles, while Kunkka had to watch his steps. His walk was sure, though, his confidence evident in his posture.

"Who are the others in the team?" Slithice had never before fought in a team with heroes she knew. They were always unknown to her.

"Our support is Rylai, the Crystal Maiden. She will go with Medusa, the Gorgon. Your support on the lane will be Atropos, the Bane Elemental. I'll go on the middle lane."

He grinned at her. "We'll meet in the first team fights. Then we'll see if you are as skilled as I think you are. Now pretty lady, let's win this war!"

They had reached the platform and stepped onto it. They were almost immediately ported into the safe zone of a town. The other three of their team were already gathered. They had waited for them and now the Gorgon, after nodding in her direction briefly, left for her road. The Crystal Maiden smiled. "Hey, nice to meet you on the right side in the town war this time." She extended her hand but when she saw that Slithice held a blade in both her hands and could therefore not taker hers, she let it drop to her side. She kept smiling though and the Naga Siren felt almost compelled to smile back. She suppressed the urged, but answered. "Nice to meet you, too. I wish you good luck."

"Thanks. Oh, by the way, you won't have to buy anything for mana regeneration. I have an ability that grants all my allies a higher regeneration rate. Good luck to you, too." Then she turned towards Kunkka and, her smile growing wider, she hugged him. She whispered something Slithice couldn't hear and the Admiral chuckled. With a hand around her waist he squeezed her briefly against his body before they separated. Were they a couple? It looked as if they were, but, the Naga thought, that wasn't really her business. Though she felt a flicker of irritation at the sight of them that close together. Maybe she was envious since they seemed to suit each other so well. She shoved the feeling away. They had both been extremely nice to her so she didn't want their interactions to be tainted by jealousy that had its origin thousand years in the past in a lost relationship of hers.

With a wave of her hand in her direction, the Crystal Maiden followed the Gorgon.

The Admiral Proudmoore followed her with his eyes, kind of checking her out and staring at her bum. "She is really sweet. I like to have her in the team because she is always in high spirits. That's good for the moral." He looked at Slithice. "I wish you good luck as well. I'll see you around." He winked and left the safe zone.

The war would start soon, so the Naga Siren hurried to buy the first items she needed. The Bane Elemental had already left for the bottom road, to which she now followed.


	3. Chapter 2

The Bane Elemental and the Naga Siren waited under first tower, until the first wave of soldiers arrived from town, following the road until they met an enemy. The Naga Siren would try to get as many killing blows on the enemy soldiers as possible, because only then she would get the extra money a hero earned with killing an enemy unit. To better be able to achieve that, she had skilled the ability with which she could summon three images of herself. That way she could get more hits on the enemy soldiers, making it easier for her to get the last hit on one. She would only be able to skill her other abilities when she got more experience throughout the town war.

The enemy heroes against them came into view, one an ogre with two heads and the other some animal, maybe a lion, that was human enough to walk on two legs. And though his feet were paws his hands looked human. He was wielding a spear while the ogre dragged a club through the dirt.

Both were melee fighters, as was the Naga Siren, but the Bane Elemental wasn't, so they had a little advantage. Especially since the lion wasn't very strong. But that probably just meant he was a carry like the Naga Siren and would get really dangerous after the war was going for a bit and he got a few items to enhance his strength. Therefore it was imperative that she got as many killing blows on the soldiers as possible while she detained the lion from getting any. It was working well enough because Atropos attacked the enemy heroes every time they got near the soldiers and the images Slithice had created made it hard for the enemy soldiers to detect the real Naga. That meant they didn't attack her most of the time, but one of her illusions, and even though the ogre had a nasty stunning ability, she was not once in real danger.

She would admit that she was a bit reckless but the Bane Elemental had told her that he could take one enemy out of the fight for a few second if she was in danger and so she was confident that she would be able to escape even when the two started an attack.

The war went on for some time.

Suddenly she was hit by a lance the lion had thrown, which hurt and created an image of the beast that followed and attacked her. At almost the same second she was stunned by the ogre and from the corner of her eye she saw a third hero appear out of the woods. This one was half animal as well. He had paws but his face was hidden under some cap that reached over his eyes and nose and emphasized his mouth full of extremely sharp teeth. He wielded two curved blades, which reached along his arms, and was clearly aiming for her, when the Bane Elemental reacted and cocooned him in some black mass before the beast could do anything.

That didn't completely eliminate the danger of the situation because the ogre and the lion were still advancing. They didn't get many hits on her before the stun duration faded, though, and Atropos was still with her, casting something. She didn't look what he was doing, just throwing her net at the lion, her tidal wave hitting both of them and then she retreated as long as the lion as well as the masked one were out of the fight.

The mana regeneration the Crystal Maiden had talked about definitely was of use now, because she needed mana, fast, to be able to cast the three images of her. And she needed those images to get away because the enemy heroes followed as soon as they were able to do so. The Bane Elemental had taken no damage until now, but the Naga Siren was severely wounded. Exactly at the moment when she had enough mana, she created the illusions, and not a second too soon. A lance hit the one on her right, making it dissolve immediately. Then a symbol appeared on the ground, the lines looking as if they were drawn with blood. That could mean nothing good and she tried to escape the painted ground as fast as possible. One of her illusions wasn't fast enough, and when the lines exploded, the illusion vanished. So the lines meant damage was about to come. She had only one of her images still with her, but this one saved her life, because it seemed the masked one still had an ability to cast. But, his chance 50 to 50, he chose the wrong target and it did nothing except kill the last illusion.

They were almost under their tower now and while Slithice kept going, back to the town and the safe zone to regenerate, the Bane Elemental remained on the road, in the relative safety of the tower. She had been lucky this time, lucky that all attacks had hit an image of her while she was retreating, otherwise they would've killed her. But she had already learned that a little luck was necessary in the town wars as well. Skill was good, but skill paired with luck was what made a hero absolutely dominating in the fights.

After regenerating, Slithice teleported to first tower on the bottom road, using a Scroll of Town Portal to do so. As soon as she materialized underneath the building, she engaged in the fight. The enemy soldiers were almost in shooting range of the building, and since the Bane Elemental was alone, he wasn't able to prevent the lion from getting at least some last hits on the soldiers. The masked hero was gone. He had probably simply joined the two on the road to get a hero kill and now he had gone into the woods near the road. Beasts were roaming those woods and by killing them a hero could get experience and money like on the road by killing enemy soldiers. The masked one was surely in the woods, doing just that.

Slithice was able to kill the ogre after the two enemy heroes had initiated an attack at her, which had failed due to the Bane Elemental acting quickly enough to save her.

When they saw the tell-tale sign of the ogre teleporting back in, they backed away a little. But on the road behind them appeared the symbol the masked hero had cast the last time he had come out of the woods. Which meant he had to be near. Only this time Slithice was standing in the middle of it, which meant she would never be fast enough to leave the circle before the lines of the symbol exploded. Her images vanished and then she found out what the symbol really did, besides dealing damage. She was silenced, was unable to cast any of her spells, and could therefore not even sing her Siren Song. And since she couldn't create new images, this time when the masked hero appeared under the trees, he knew exactly whom to attack.

The Bane Elemental had to be silenced as well, because though he stopped and turned around, he didn't do anything. The ogre and the lion were advancing, and the masked man bared his teeth, clinked his blades together in front of his body, and used the ability from which Naga's image had saved her the last time. Suddenly she felt as if she was being ripped apart with every step she took, wounds appearing all over her body. She stopped running and the pain stopped as well. The damage had to be connected to the movement of her body somehow. But it was definitely what had erased her image last time, what the masked one had tried to cast onto her then.

And it would have killed her then just as it was going to be her death now. Because if she couldn't run away, she would be facing three enemy heroes. And she was still silenced. But she wouldn't die without a fight and so she raised her blades and faced the masked hero, ready to attack as soon as he was near enough.

Next, a spear from the lion hit her, an illusion of him appearing beside her. And in a second the ogre would be near enough for a stun. But right then, when the masked enemy made the first hit, immediately countered by one from the Naga Siren, the silence faded. Taking a deep breath, she filled her lungs with air and started to sing. Maybe her song would last long enough for the spell that had been cast onto her to fade so she could start running again. The three enemy heroes fell into some kind of trance or sleep immediately but when Slithice tried to move, the pain started again. And she was too injured to run despite the pain. If she did, she would die from the spell.

She saw movement under the trees and since all enemies in hearing range wouldn't be able to move, it had to be an ally. And when a flying ship appeared above the leaves, she even knew which one. A moment before the ship would crash onto the enemies, she stopped singing. She had to, because while under the spell of the song, all enemies were immune to any sort of attack, so the ship wouldn't have done any damage. Her song ended and the ship crashed. It hit all three heroes and the Bane Elemental joined the fight. Slithice took a second to look for the Admiral, who came running out of the woods now. Then she did everything she could while keeping standing on the same spot. She created her images, which could move, and cast the Tidal Wave because as close as the enemy heroes were standing, it hit them all. She wanted to throw her net as well, but she had not enough mana, so she attacked with her images, hitting at the masked hero in front of her.

Atropos took someone out, but she didn't see whom. She concentrated on the one in front of her, but the Bane Elemental had done something to him, too. The Admiral caught him, when he tried to retreat into the woods, and the one hit from his curved blade was the only thing it took to kill him.

The masked one was dead and the Naga Siren turned towards the other two enemy heroes. She was still under the spell that caused pain with movement, but it was only one tiny step to be near enough to attack the lion. His feet were enclosed by some black mass that could only come from the Bane Elemental and he was taking damage while in that mass. She raised her blades to attack him, but was hit by a stun. It seemed the ogre was still around.

The black mass vanished and the lion disappeared for a second, just to appear with two images of himself a few feet away. Slithice didn't wait to see what happened next, if the Admiral was able to get him, since he was near death and the two illusions didn't give him that much of safety against the splash damage Kunkka's blade could deal. She was too injured to stay where she was and when the stun duration was over the effect from the masked man had gone as well. So she went as fast as she could back into town and to the safe zone to regenerate.

She had to thank Kunkka later for rescuing them, but first priority was survival. Her images stayed on the road and she let them fight against the enemy soldiers, so they were not completely useless. She even got some last hits and money that way.

When she was back on the road the Admiral was already gone.

The soldiers were in the middle between the two towers. The ogre was there, as was the Bane Elemental.

"Did you get the lion?" Slithice asked him. She was curious, if the Admiral had been fast enough. He nodded but didn't say anything else, so she created her images and joined the fight of the soldiers. Since only the ogre was there, the lion probably still dead and the masked one surely somewhere in the woods again, she wanted to get a few hits on the enemy tower. Therefore she killed the soldiers as fast as she could, completely ignoring the ogre. He stood too far away for an attack of her anyway.

When the lion was back on the road, they acted a little more passive and nothing happened for a few minutes. Then the Crystal Maiden joined them. "Hey, how is it going? Kunkka asked me to come here and help you. He said you had problems with the one farming in the woods coming out to gank." She smiled at Slithice and Atropos. She looked really cute and kind of harmless with her blond hair and blue eyes. Slithice knew that she was anything, but, though. The ice she could cast could wipe out a whole team if they acted dumb enough.

"Nothing going on here at the moment. You want to try to get one of those two?" Atropos asked and pointed at the lion and the ogre. They looked weary but prepared.

After seizing them up for a moment she nodded. "Why not. Let's try it. I'm sure we have to dive the tower though, because they will definitely try to retreat as soon as we make the first move against them. I can do that but I need someone to take the tower aggro when I'm too injured."

The Naga Siren nodded.

And then their attack began. Without further comments, the Bane Elemental drew nearer and cocooned the ogre in the black mass, at the same moment where Slithice threw her net. The lion was a little faster though, and just as the net would've hit him, he disappeared, to reappear under the tower with two images.

The Crystal Maiden had turned into the woods to come from the side and now she cast a freezing field on the place where the three lions were standing. The damage it did was great enough for them to see which lion was the real one, because his illusions took more damage than he.

Slithice was now in front of the ogre. She ignored the lion for the moment and waited for the black mass to vanish. Then she attacked. First the Tidal Wave, then, together with her last image, she hit. Until she was stunned. From there on it got bad. The Crystal Maiden came running out of the woods, some dragon following her. The beast attacked Slithice, as did the ogre and the lion, who had joined the fight again. The Maiden was able to activate the raining ice, but the Naga Siren didn't see much of that before she died.

Slithice resurrected in the safe zone. That hadn't been a complete failure. She used a Scroll of Town Portal to get to first tower on the bottom road faster.

"I'm sorry he got you." The Crystal Maiden seemed to be sincerely sorry about it.

"Nothing you could've done. They started to gank and will probably be in teams with four or five heroes from now on. We should get together with the others or be even more careful about when we attack. We have too little vision in the woods on our side."

The Maiden nodded. "We already bought wards. We'll place them in the woods. We got Observer Wards, to get vision, and Sentry Wards because we had a hero on the top road, who could go invisible."

From the stream, which divided the land between the two towns in a straight line, the Admiral headed up to the road. He winked at the Crystal Maiden. "Hey sugar, how's it going down here? It seems all enemy heroes vanished from the other roads so I thought I'd check on you."

The Maiden smiled at him. "Good to have you with us. We need someone who can tank a little. The only enemy hero we haven't seen here so far is the hunter. But we were just about to place wards because I'm sure he'll come."

"Good. I go with you so they don't intercept you while you are alone."

Slithice took their conversation in while she fought against the soldiers. They surely knew each other for some time. They stepped into the woods on her right side to place the wards there.

Kunkka and the Crystal Maiden initiated the next fight. They came out of the woods behind the tower, where the ogre and the lion were standing. The Maiden froze the lion and cast the freezing field as well. The Admiral called his flying ship, which only hit the lion, because the ogre was able to run out of its path. A fountain of water coming from the ground and two hits of the Admiral's blade later, the lion was dead, immobilized from the beginning of the attack up to the end.

The Naga Siren blinked at the scene in front of her. She had started running to the fighters but it was over before she even got there. The ogre had left the lion to his fate and saved his own ass.

With no enemy hero around to fight, she headed back to the tower and while Kunkka killed the next wave of enemy soldiers before they reached the tower, she was able to destroy the building.

The tower gone, they headed back. The Admiral and the Crystal Maiden took the way down to the stream and followed the water. It would lead them to the middle road. Slithice and the Bane Elemental followed. She didn't want to stay at the bottom road now that both teams had begun ganking. It was too dangerous and it made more sense to destroy the first towers on the other two roads next.

The Admiral was grinning at the Crystal Maiden. "Wanna tell me how good I just was?"

Her laugh drifted through the air. "You were formidable. I have _never_ seen anyone fight as skilled as you do. I am totally in awe."

"Now you are exaggerating deliberately."

"And you are fishing for compliments."

Slithice smiled as she listened to them. It was such a light conversation, completely in contrast to the seriousness of the war around them. She liked how relaxed the Admiral was all the time, like the pirate he looked to be, not taking this whole war too serious. She didn't think he wouldn't give everything to win, it was just that he did so with a saunter to his steps and a smile on his lips, taunting the enemy even when he was losing.


	4. Chapter 3

Slithice could hear the fighting on the middle road before she could see it. Kunkka stopped. "We go in. There can only be four enemy heroes and we are four as well. Siren, I want your song as a way to escape if the enemy is too strong." He turned towards the Crystal Maiden. "A kiss for good luck?" He was smiling at the tiny woman, his green eyes sparkling, and wriggled his eyebrows. The Maiden laughed. Then she rose on tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the cheek. With a wide grin the Admiral then headed for the battle in front of him.

He was reckless and bolt, but it seemed to work. Slithice didn't even need to sing her Siren Song because the enemy stood no chance against their combined powers. The Admiral and the Crystal Maiden worked well together, the tall man always trying to serve as some kind of shield for the woman, while she dealt as much damage as she could, keeping an eye on the pirate to be able to freeze the opponent who was the most dangerous for him. They knew where the other was at all times and it seemed they even knew which moves the other would make. It was fascinating to watch them and Slithice only envied this connection they had a little. She had had someone like that, once, but that was long ago. And, as sad as it was, over all the centuries that had passed, she couldn't summon those feeling of connection anymore.

Now she was alone in the world, alone in her quest that seemed to have no end. And though it was only a town war, something to pass her time, she was glad that she had a team, that the Admiral had asked her to be a part of his crew.

They used the time were most enemy heroes were dead to destroy the tower but when they wanted to head to the bottom road they saw the Gorgon coming their way. She simply nodded at the Admiral whereupon the man led them further on the middle road towards second tower.

"We try to get this tower as well and as long as the Siren still has her song we push forward. If it gets too perilous she sings and we head back. No one goes alone into a fight." A pointed look at the Gorgon. "And Medusa, please try to communicate with the Siren before starting your Stone Gaze. It is ineffective while she is singing and vice versa. I don't want either of these two abilities wasted because you were not able to at least look at each other to see who would act first."

He looked very stern and Slithice wondered if the Gorgon was the loner in this team.

The Admiral looked at her and Slithice nodded. She would only use her song after she had checked with the Gorgon.

"Hey Kunkka, don't be so grim. You know that Medusa doesn't do it on purpose." The Crystal Maiden put her hand on his shoulder and smiled up at him. "We'll be alright. Don't worry, we are strong enough to win this war. Even if we waste one of their two abilities. It's not as if we are useless without them and it won't take _that_ much time for them to be ready again. Now come, we _need_ your strength." She squeezed his upper arms, batting her lashes at the man, and the Admiral grinned.

"You only want to distract me with your flirting."

"Me?" The Maiden made big eyes, looking as innocent as one could look. She shook her head lightly, her golden hair whipping around her face. "I only flirt with you because you are such a gorgeous male that I can't help myself!"

Kunkka laughed, the Gorgon rolled her eyes and the Bane Elemental shook his head.

Then the Admiral slapped the woman on her arse lightly and headed towards second tower. He was still laughing. "Do your job, woman, and stop talking nonsense!"

Slithice didn't really understand the encounter but she did catch the lightness in the behaviour of all. The Crystal Maiden was still smiling. Though the Admiral had been very commanding and uncommonly grim, she had somehow achieved a change in mood. For a few seconds there had been the beginning of some dispute that must have started way earlier, surely in one of the other town wars they had fought as a team. But this tiny woman had been able to redirect the attention of all allies.

Even the Bane Elemental seemed to have the hint of a smile on his face. Though Slithice couldn't be sure, because his face was just horribly ugly and not in the least like a human face.

The destruction of the tower went smooth enough. And when the invisible hunter the Maiden had talked about earlier appeared and tried to kill the rather weak woman, he was no real danger. He was dead before he could land a second hit.

And so they kept pushing forward, trying to get third tower down, since they were already near the building and still had the Siren Song as escape possibility.

But now the enemy heroes had the advantage of the higher ground of the town, which granted them better vision because they could look down and the chance of evading attacks from enemies standing on the lower ground.

The Admiral was relentless, though. He kept pushing and pushing, killing the enemy soldiers easily enough with the splash from his sword and the help of the Crystal Maiden. He definitely was the leader of this team. He had this aura of confidence and command, and though his size was a factor, he didn't need it to fill the place with his presence. He simply was someone to whom all eyes were drawn, including the Naga's.

The Gorgon concentrated on the tower and the Elemental and the Naga Siren were ready for an attack.

The fight began and though the enemy was able to deal a high amount of damage it was over fast enough. And with a rather pleasant outcome for Kunkka's team.

The man seemed invincible, just like he had in the last war, when he had wiped out Naga's team. To have such a man as one's ally would be the best that could happen.

Slithice was a little sad that this town war would be over so fast and she would be alone again afterwards. It was really nice to fight as a team.

But it wasn't over yet. They headed back after destroying third tower to regenerate. They had all been injured in the last fight and they wanted to buy a few items at the merchant's shop. They would just take a few minutes to take a little break and then gather anew for the next offensive.

On their way back the Admiral Proudmoore fell in step beside her. "You are a good addition to our team. How do you like fighting together with us?"

"It's different. I feel like I can rely on my allies much more than usual. And like we are really one team. It's good."

He nodded. "I'm glad you like it. I almost only fight together with heroes I know. That way I know what to expect. Maybe you want to join us again sometime?"

"Yeah, I would really like that."

They walked alongside each other silently. Or better, he walked. She slithered.

The Naga Siren was no small woman, but the Admiral still towered almost a head over her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. He was big. And very imposing. Even with his blue coat she could see that he was heavily muscled. Strong arms and wide shoulders. And when he wasn't smiling he looked extremely dangerous. Able to deal with everything that came his way.

For a second Slithice was tempted to ask him for help in her quest. She even opened her mouth but then she couldn't get the words out. It wasn't so much that she didn't think he would help but it had been her failure in the beginning so it was her task, and her task alone, to righten the wrong that had been done. To restore the honour she had lost. And she suspected that the Slithereen wouldn't acknowledge it when she had had help.

And so she kept silent. Apart from her team, though she wished only to belong somewhere again. To belong with Kunkka and his team, in this war. And then with the Slithereen Guard again, when she was finally able to complete her quest and restore her honour.

When they reached the stream they parted ways because Slithice wanted to go to the secret shop on a small clearing in the woods while the Admiral headed straight back into town. He didn't say anything and the Naga was a little disappointed. She pushed that feeling away though, because what did she expect? That he could sense her wish and offer his help without her ever saying a word? That he told her he liked her and wanted to spend time with her? Now _that_ was completely stupid. Especially since it was absolutely obvious that he and the Crystal Maiden were a pair. She was no match for the easy going and bright woman, who was always so friendly. And a human, like Kunkka.

In town they discussed if they wanted to destroy the second towers on the bottom and top road or if they wanted to push through the middle and go for the heart immediately. It was no easy decision and both had advantages and disadvantages. In the end they decided to go onto the bottom road first. The destruction of the towers would grant them extra money so they would be able to buy better items, then.

They headed out, the Admiral first, then the Gorgon, then Slithice, the Bane Elemental and, the last in their group, the Crystal Maiden.

They met the first wave of enemy soldiers about the place where first tower of the enemy had been standing. It didn't take them long to kill them and keep going. They fanned out a little. And when the attack began, they reacted as if they had been fighting together their whole lives. And again Slithice didn't need her Siren Song, because they were completely superior.

Second tower down. Third tower down. Barracks destroyed.

The enemy heroes would be resurrected in a few seconds so they headed back again. They would take the top road next, their goal to destroy all the barracks of the enemy town. Then they could go for the heart unhurriedly.

This time Slithice saw why the Admiral had admonished the Gorgon earlier. Because she used her Stone Gaze at the totally wrong moment. The consequence was that the raining ice the Crystal Maiden cast was completely useless and therefore wasted. And the ice was the ability which dealt the most damage against the enemy heroes.

Lucky for them the enemy wasn't able to use this lack in coordination completely for their benefit. They were able to kill the Maiden, though, before the Naga Siren used the Siren Song so they could escape.

They retreated into the woods near the top road and headed for their town.

"Damn it, Medusa! What did I tell you earlier? That was a huge failure!"

The Gorgon stopped. "Why is it always my fault? _She_ could have waited with the use of her Freezing Field as well!"

The scowl on Kunkka's face deepened. He pointed his curved blade at the woman with the tail of a snake. She looked angry but he did too. And now Slithice realized why the Crystal Maiden was such an important part of this team. Both of them were cocksure that they were right and the other was wrong. And neither would budge.

"Because she is always behind you. _You_ have to look back to communicate with her. That's why it's your fault!"

"Well, then she should have seen that I was about to cast my spell. It is more than obvious from behind." She hissed, the snakes that were her hair weaving around her head, their movements hinting at the fury the woman was feeling.

The Bane Elemental had left for their town, completely ignoring the dispute that was taking place between two of his team mates. Slithice wasn't sure if she was of help here either, but she didn't want to leave offhandedly.

Stepping into the Gorgon's personal space, the Admiral almost growled as he spoke his next words. "I told _you_ to look at Rylai before using Stone Gaze. I _told_ you. So I lay the blame completely on you. We could have easily won this fight. And Rylai definitely didn't have to die!"

They were staring daggers at each other and it looked as if they would attack each other at any moment now. And before she could think further about her actions, the Naga Siren stepped next to them.

"Um, I don't think… Don't you think it would be better to concentrate on the next fight instead of arguing about the one we lost? We can't change how it went now anyway and it isn't as if we lost the war. The Crystal Maiden will be back in a few seconds and then we can go for the enemy town again."

When both heads turned and they stared at her, the Admiral with his dark green eyes and the Gorgon with her glowing red ones, she got a little nervous. But their attention had shifted, away from each other and onto her. That was what she had intended, wasn't it?

"Yeah, er, mistakes happen, don't you think? I'm sure I'm not perfect and it could have happened to me as well, using my song at the wrong time. All fights until this one were absolutely accurate, maybe we could cut each other some slack. It doesn't really matter whose fault it was, I think. We are one team after all."

They just kept staring at her and Slithice concentrated on not showing her nervousness. She hadn't been a part of that team for very long and she couldn't judge how they would react to her interference.

So when the Admiral grinned and clapped her on the shoulder, hard, she slithered to the side a bit to keep her balance.

"You are absolutely right, of course. Siren, you are almost as good as Rylai." He turned towards the Gorgon, but his stance was relaxed now, as was his tone as he spoke. "If the demons of the Cataract couldn't sink my fleet, then this lot doesn't stand a chance. Let's get Rylai and then we show them what we got. Another five minutes and they'll have lost this war. And… sorry. I shouldn't have put all the blame on you."

"That's right, you shouldn't." Slithice almost cringed at the Gorgon's flat tone. But then the woman relaxed, too. "But I know why you did it. It is only right that she has someone who protects her, no matter what."

They looked at each other for a few moments longer and then the Gorgon turned towards the middle road. "Come." Kunkka said to Slithice, and side by side they followed her.

"Thank you. Medusa and I are technically too stubborn to be in one team together. But she is a great ally. And I tend to protect Rylai at any cost, sometimes even if it isn't justified. Since a high amount of coordination is needed for their abilities not to be wasted, I tend to put all the responsibility for that coordination on Medusa's shoulders. And besides, just as you said, one bad fight, that we didn't even lose, we just didn't win it, doesn't automatically lead to a lost war." He ran his hand through his hair, making it look even more shaggy and unkempt than before, the black strand standing up from his head in uneven spikes. "I don't even believe that it was Medusa's fault. I was just angry that Rylai died."

 _Wow_ , Slithice thought, _it seems he really needed to talk to someone about that._

"Maybe you shouldn't go into town wars with your mate. It must be hard to always see her fight and know that she can die at any time."

Kunkka stared at her for a few seconds. "You think she is my mate?"

That made Slithice hesitate. "Isn't she? It really looks like you are a pair."

He shook his head. "We aren't. But you are right when you say it must be hard for me to have her in the town war with me. But it in real world it is even more dangerous. I've heard the Anti-Mage was searching for her and when the man sets his eyes on killing a mage he never fails. His sole purpose is to hunt mages and he always succeeds. So the town wars are the most secure place to be for Rylai. She can die here but she will always be resurrected."

"Oh." She had heard about the Anti-Mage. Who hadn't? But she had never met him and since she wasn't a real mage she had never thought about the danger it could pose to be hunted by him. The Admiral was right, here was probably the safest place the Crystal Maiden could be at the moment. She just wondered how long it would take for the Anti-Mage to lose interest in searching for her and go for another mage. And how long until he would come for her again.

Silently they kept walking. Slithice was very aware of the man next to her. His presence was hard to miss and it was like he was cocooning her in it. It was the best way to describe it. All her feelings, her fear, her anger, her loneliness, her restlessness, her isolation were dampened by his confidence and strength. Like he had some invisible sphere around him and as soon as Slithice stepped into it all her negative emotions were replaced with positive ones or at least dimmed into far away and insignificant feelings. It was fascinating and she enjoyed the respite of being confronted with the real world and the solving of her quest.


	5. Chapter 4

Slithice and Kunkka saw their three allied heroes leaving town at the middle road. They met and headed through the woods to the top road again but were surprised by the enemy heroes there under the trees.

The Gorgon reacted extremely fast, her Stone Gaze freezing them in place. And then they took their time to take them out one after the other. It wasn't as if they didn't fight back but the Bane Elemental had bought some item to heal them all and with his disable as well as Naga's net and the Crystal Maiden's freeze they could take out three enemy heroes for long enough to not have to fight against five enemy heroes at one time. When the three disabled heroes were ready to fight again the other two were already dead. That way they had the advantage of numbers at all times.

They went on for the top road after the fight because they had killed three of the five heroes and wanted to destroy as many buildings as possible while they had the chance to do so easily.

The two remaining enemy heroes walked up and down inside their town but they were unable to do something. And so the town war was over in an uncommonly short time.

Slithice stood next to the destroyed heart, her images flanking her, and stared at the scattered stones on the ground. It had been an easy victory, almost without any challenges. But it had been nice to fight with a real team, with heroes she knew and who talked with her.

"Hey, Naga Siren." The deep voice of Admiral Proudmoore penetrated her thoughts. "You want to join us for a drink, as a little celebration for our victory?"

He was grinning at her, clearly delighted that they had won this war.

The Crystal Maiden smiled up at him. "The first round is yours?"

"Of course honey, as always." Her smile got wider and she linked arms with him.

"I like town wars with you. There is always the chance of a free drink in case of victory." She turned to Slithice. "Please join us. It was nice to have you with us. Maybe we can get to know each other a little better outside of this war."

For a moment The Naga Siren thought the Maiden was checking her out but that seemed so unlikely that she discarded the idea.

The Gorgon and the Bane Elemental joined them. They seemed to want that free drink as well and Slithice didn't see why she shouldn't, too. Smiling, she nodded. "I'd like to come with you."

They were somehow able to appear all at the same starting platform, which wasn't the on in the swamp. This one was surrounded by flat land, which was covered by grass and only some bushes. Slithice could see miles and miles of plain stretching out before her. A slight wind was blowing, the grass moving in the air, making the ground almost look liked waves on a giant lake.

They headed down from the platform and Kunkka guided them in the direction of wherever he wanted to go to get those drinks. She didn't pay much attention to where they were going. In addition to the fact that they were a large group traveling together, she had her images to protect her, and so she just looked at the foreign landscape around her. She liked the feeling of the grass sliding against her fish tail as she slithered on the ground. She liked how it moved and looked like water but felt so completely different. She liked the dry smell it created, how the air was almost free of biting insects. She felt completely secure and just followed the lead of the Admiral, sure that no danger would dare assault them.

It was the most peaceful journey she had made in centuries. And she found herself smiling almost all the time and she hummed softly to herself.

The Crystal Maiden and the Admiral were talking to each other, joking and flirting, from the looks of it. The Gorgon was scanning their surroundings, as if she expected an attack or something. Maybe it was just her nature to always be alert. And the Bane Elemental seemed almost asleep on his feet. He kept moving though, but it did look funny.

After maybe an hour of walking they reached a road. Slithice couldn't see its origin but a little further up the road some houses were standing. It was probably a place to rest for travellers, who walked this road from wherever it came to wherever it leaded. And it was surely often enough used by the heroes of the town wars as well. They needed supplies again after the wars.

They would probably meet one or the other hero here. Hopefully it would remain peaceful but no wonder the Gorgon had kept her eyes open. Maybe others travelled the planes in teams as well and one could never know if they were looking for a fight outside of the wars as well.

But everything seemed to be quite as they approached. In front of a shop that sold weapons lay a huge black cat with something like a saddle on its back. It was the mount of someone and Slithice had heard about the elves that rode cats and protected the forest of the Goddess of the Moon. They were said to be extremely fierce and loyal. And beautiful of course. The night elf was nowhere to be seen, probably inside the shop.

In front of the inn their group stopped and Kunkka addressed them. "Want to shop first or get that drink?"

Slithice didn't need to shop, so she voted for the drink, as did the Crystal Maiden and the Bane Elemental. Only the Gorgon needed to go to the weaponry but she said she'd join them in a few minutes. Some unspoken messages were passed from the Admiral to her, after which the woman nodded slightly. They entered the inn (Slithice letting her images fade away) while the Maiden shook her head. "Medusa scouting the area again? Don't you think you are a little overcautious?"

"Not when your safety is concerned, no."

"You are so sweet." She patted his cheek lightly and then headed to a table with an extra swing to her hips. Predictably, Kunkka's eyes followed the movement for a second before he walked after her.

He had said they were no mates though they acted like it and Slithice wondered if maybe he wanted but she didn't. In the end it didn't matter.

She took a seat and curled her tail around the legs of the chair so nobody would trip over it. The chairs were wide and comfortable, clearly designed for a lot of different species. Slithice smiled. She hadn't been to an inn for a while. It was loud and always smelled of food, drinks and men. Even in an inn were more than a few uncommon creatures were sitting, the smell was the same as in an elven or human bar, or even an orc one. This was definitely an inn for all species walking this world. Slithice could see some undead, some beastlike men and women and even a dragon. They were mixed with a few humans, some of them mages, and a ghost was floating through the room.

The waiter and waitresses were all human like. They wore bright blue clothes that made them stick out in the room, which was mostly equipped with brown wooden furniture. One stood beside their table suddenly. She hadn't walked but had just appeared. Slithice blinked a few times but the woman ignored her confusion, smiling at them all and asking for their wishes. At the question Kunkka grinned but as he wanted to open his mouth to say something, probably, insinuating, the waitress raised her hand, her palm pointing in his direction, and said: "Stop."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times but no sound came out. The woman just kept smiling as she turned away from the somehow silenced Admiral to repeat her question to the rest of them. "Maybe you could order something for your friend, too, it will take a few minutes for him to be able to talk again."

The Crystal Maiden looked at the temporarily muted Admiral and started to laugh. The Bane Elemental took pity on the waiting waitress and ordered drinks for all of them, including Slithice. So she leaned back in her chair and let her gaze wander through the inn. This was a fascinating place and she relaxed. The laughter of the Maiden made her smile. The woman was just so carefree, it was nice. And it was funny that the waitress had muted Kunkka temporarily. It was surely extremely important for all the staff members in this place to be able to defend themselves. With so many different species in one room, trouble was inevitable, especially for a beautiful woman such as their waitress.

Their drinks came and Kunkka paid. He avoided looking at the woman, who was still smiling. The Gorgon joined them, nodding shortly at the Admiral, surely as a sign that everything was okay.

They were all silent now for a few moments, even the Maiden had stopped laughing, and took their first sips of their drinks.

From under her lashes Slithice watched the Admiral. He wasn't angry that the waitress had silenced him so easily. He even seemed a bit amused by the whole situation, one corner of his mouth turned into a half smile that made him look somehow roguish. His rugged appearance appealed to her, his dishevelled hair, his beard, the x-shaped scar over his right brow. He dressed with refreshing indifference, as if he had simply taken the first items in his wardrobe, a simple shirt and brown pants. And his coat that had to be several years old, probably more like decades.

Maybe sensing her watching him, he turned towards Slithice. His green eyes held laughter as he winked at her. She had been caught staring and, though she smiled, she lowered her gaze, feeling herself blush.

"Wow, Siren, that's a nice skin colour you have." The Crystal Maiden leaned a bit over the table to get a closer look. "You are rose coloured all over! Can you do that at will?" She reached out and trailed over the skin of Naga's arm. It was a strange sensation, the warm hand of a human against her cold and smooth skin. "And I just realize that not only your skin colour is nice, it feels nice as well…" The Maiden continued to stroke along her arm, making Slithice frown.

Realizing that the Maiden stopped, resuming her seat. "Well, I think that answers the question if you fancy women even before I was able to pose it." Her gaze travelled over her body, lingering on a moment on her breasts. She sighed overdramatically and turned towards Kunkka. "Why can't you get a beautiful woman to join our team that, for once, prefers me over you? You are _so_ egoistic." She shook her head but smiled at the Admiral. It was clear she didn't really mean it but now, finally, Slithice knew why the two weren't mates: the Crystal Maiden wasn't into men.

"He didn't get me someone, either, so stop complaining." The Bane Elemental had joined the conversation. Only the Gorgon seemed not to care what they were talking about but kept scanning the room and its inhabitants. Though the Admiral was the one who always came to her defences, the Gorgon wasn't less protective of the Crystal Maiden. It was simply a different kind of protection, one that wasn't needed in a town war.

The Maiden wrinkled her nose at the Elemental. "Yeah, maybe because you are so unbelievably ugly that I don't even want to think about how a woman for you would look like. It's just gross."

"Careful little one or you might see my ugly face in your dreams tonight."

"No, Kunkka please help me!" She clutched at his arm. "Someone is threatening me! Show him how strong I am!"

The Bane Elemental laughed and it was such a strange sound that even the Gorgon looked at him, as did most creatures in the inn. In an absolutely dead tone she said: "And she has to be deaf to stay with you after she hears you laughing like that." That made him only laugh louder.

Slithice wanted so much to be a part of such a team, to have friends like that, but she knew her time with them was only temporary. If she wanted to belong somewhere again she had to finish her quest, to find that damn stolen treasure. With it she could return back home. Her honour would be restored and she would have a family again. Friends.

But until then she was alone. The town war with this team had been one of the best things that had happened to her in the last century but she wanted to go back to her family. And for that she had to leave them. Maybe she should do so sooner rather than later because she was growing to like them.

She finished her drink, lost in her thoughts. She had been searching for the stolen chalice for centuries but still she didn't even have a clue about its whereabouts. The theft of it during her watch had destroyed her honour and the only way for Slithice to restore that honour, to revoke the ban that had been spoken over her, was to regain hold of this chalice. To bring it back to her people, back into the trove it had been taken from. Therefore she would continue her search until she either found the stolen treasure or until she died.

The town wars were some kind of diversion, a way to relax, in-between this endless quest. But they were nothing she would want to do the rest of her life, especially since she was looking at a very long life. Because that way she would never find the stolen treasure and would always remain apart from her race, a Slithereen without honour, banished from her order.

When she stood the conversations at the table stopped and four sets of eyes focused on her. "Thank you for the drink. And for the war, it was nice to be a part of your team. But I have to go. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime. I wish you well, land walkers."

Without waiting for a response she left. In front of the inn she took a moment to take a deep breath. She created her images and thought about where she should go from here on. It didn't really matter, because the treasure could be anywhere and therefore one place was as good as the other to continue the search. She couldn't even be sure that she would find it near the sea.


	6. Chapter 5

Slithice turned left. Flanked by her images she continued her quest. Passing the armoury she saw that the black cat that had been lying there was gone. So the protector of the Goddess had left.

She didn't get far before she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She didn't have to turn around to know that the Admiral was following her.

"Hey, Siren. Wait a second!"

Sure that he wouldn't stop running after her if she pretended not to hear him she faced him. He stopped and frowned at her, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He looked extremely imposing like that.

"What was that? You think you can just walk away like that, after we worked together so well?"

Slithice shrugged. That had been her intention and she had thought it would work. Because why would one of them follow he after they had only known her for the period of one town war? It wasn't as if they were friends or as if they owned one another something.

Kunkka pointed at finger at her, almost poking her, like before completely ignoring her images and discerning the real Naga without hesitation. "Well, you thought wrong. First, I want you to tell me why you want to leave so suddenly. I thought you liked it with us. And second, if you want to leave, we all deserve a proper farewell. Not this."

She shrugged again. "I have things to do. And I didn't think it was that important to you if I stayed or not."

The scowl on Kunkka's face deepened. Then he grabbed her wrist and almost dragged her behind himself back in the direction of the inn. The Naga Siren was so perplexed by the action that she didn't even think about resisting. His grip was firm and his hand warm, the calluses on his palms scraping against her skin, the feeling so different from the touch of the Crystal Maiden. A strange sensation took hold of her body, which followed the Admiral willingly while her mind tried to process what was going on.

They didn't enter the inn but rounded the building by following a small path that led to a few benches. They were placed with their backs to the building to enable the view over the plane.

Slithice sat down on one of the benches after Kunkka made it clear he wanted her to, though he remained standing, his arms crossed again. He looked angry but the Naga wasn't really sure why. She was curious what he wanted to say to her now.

"Okay. I want to get a few things clear first. I didn't ask you to become a part of our team out of the clear blue sky. We wanted to have you with us. _I_ wanted to have you with us. That means, yes, it is important to us if you stay or not. We do accept if you want to leave but we do deserve that you say goodbye properly. So I expect you to make up leeway later. Now we come to the important stuff: why do you, suddenly, want to leave?"

"You trying to order me around? Don't you think it is my business why I leave and not yours?" Slithice stood and because the Admiral didn't back away she was now standing so near, her body almost brushed against his. She had to tilt her head back to be able to look into his eyes. "I can do what I want and just because I fought one town war with you doesn't mean you can give me orders. Not in the war and especially not in the real world. Who do you think you are? My owner?"

For a few moments he said nothing. Then he dropped his arms. "Sorry. I was just angry that you left like that. Of course I don't order you around like I was your owner." He took a deep breath. "But I would be grateful if you could tell me why you want to go. When I asked you in the town war if you wanted to join us again you said you would like to. So why leave now? Has the fact that Rylai digs women shocked you? She won't try to touch you again, if that's what you are afraid about."

"Oh, no, does she think that is the reason why I left?" She shook her head. She hadn't even wasted a second thought on the fact. "It has nothing to do with that. I have a quest and I have to continue with it. Otherwise I'll never be able to get it done."

"You want help with this quest? What is it? Maybe I could do something."

Slithice blinked. She opened her mouth and closed it again, not sure what to say. She would never ever have asked for help but Kunkka had offered on his own to do so. And though she wanted nothing more than company in her search, was she even allowed to get help?

Ultimately it was her fault that the chalice had been stolen so it was her task, and her task alone, to bring it back. _No_ , she realized. She would never get her honour restored if the Slithereen found out she hadn't gotten the chalice back on her own.

"I'm sorry, I can't. It is my quest and I have to do it alone. I appreciate your offer, though."

"Can you tell me what it is you have to do?"

"I have to find something that was stolen from the Slithereen."

Kunkka thought about that for a moment. "You have to find something? A stolen treasure?"

Slithice nodded. She wouldn't tell him more but she thought it couldn't be a problem if he knew that much. Many knew that she was searching for something, it was no secret.

"Do you ask around sometimes if someone has seen whatever you are looking for? Do you ask merchants if they have something like what you need for sale?"

She thought she knew what he was aiming for. It was no helping if she paid someone for information or if she wanted to buy something specific from a merchant. Because it wasn't unrealistic that the chalice would appear somewhere, that someone would sell it or show it.

"Okay, here's the plan: We go back into the inn and inform the others. Then we head to my ship. Since I am something like a pirate sometimes, I sell some fine stuff. You could take a look at those things and I'd even show you my private collection. For the right price I am willing to sell everything, except my ship and myself. Afterwards I might be willing to answer some questions because, trust me if I say so, I have been to every place in this world. Even to most ones under water and in the air. I am convinced that I can give you any information you are seeking or that I can at least tell you who might be able to. But" and now he leaned closer until she could feel his breath fanning over her cheek "it won't be cheap. I have a high living standard and I want to keep it that way. Do you think we will come to an agreement?"

When Slithice drew a breath to answer she could smell the leather the Admiral was wearing. And though he had been fighting at least two town wars in a row he still smelled like the sea, salt and wind imbedded into his scent forever. All rational thought left her as she took a deep breath to soak it in. She could swear she could hear the seagulls screaming and the waves rolling, until the underlying maleness of him registered. She wasn't on the sea, she was standing in front of the Admiral, so near that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body lapping against the almost completely exposed skin of her body. Her mouth went dry and her heartbeat accelerated.

She realized she had closed her eyes and when she opened them she saw that she had leaned forward, her nose only inches away from his coat. She gave a jerk and slithered back a little, bringing distance between their bodies. When she looked up with wide eyes Kunkka had raised his brows. He had his mouth curled into a half smile and he looked incredibly good and so much like a pirate, Naga's heart skipped a beat. She didn't know what to say, had even forgotten what they had been talking about. She just kept staring at the male in front of her. Until his smile turned into a grin. "I'm sure I never had a woman react that way after sniffing at me. You kind of were out of it for almost a minute." At her bewildered expression he started to laugh. "I just want to mock you a bit. It wasn't that bad. Now, _do_ you remember what I was asking you?"

Slithice had to concentrate for a moment. "Yeah. I remember. And I think it's a good idea."

Still grinning the Admiral pointed at the inn. "Let's tell the others they have to get along without me for some time."

Following the man, Slithice was extra careful to keep a good distance between them. She had never had something like that happen to her before and it spooked her a little how much simply the scent of the Admiral had affected her.

Inside of the inn she didn't talk much. The Admiral explained where they would go, though he left out to explain why, which Slithice was grateful for. They would probably just offer their help if they knew about her quest, which would make her feel uncomfortable since she couldn't accept help. The Crystal Maiden kept looking at her a bit warily and the Naga Siren smiled at the woman. She didn't want her to think that she had left because of her. She would never judge someone because of their preferences in a partner. Her first real love had been an orc after all, and what was a orc together with a Slithereen if not strange, maybe stranger than two women being a couple.

Before they left she put one of her blades down and shook the hands of all three of them. She wished them good luck in the next town war and promised, at the plea of the Crystal Maiden, that she would join them again in a war.

After stepping out of the inn, Kunkka stopped her. "I have a Hearth Stone with my ship as destination. If I touch you while activating it, you will be teleported together with me."

Slithice had heard about such stones but she didn't have one. She didn't need one, either, because such a stone had one place as home to which it would bring the bearer if he wished. And she didn't have a home.

She stretched her arm out and he took hold of her wrist. Not her hand, since she always wielded her two blades. She didn't put them down like the Admiral did with his but kept them always ready to strike. It was essential for her to never let her guard down and be prepared for an attack at all times. Especially since she travelled mostly alone and often through dangerous territory. She had become so used to carrying her weapons that she linked the feeling of them in her hands with the feeling of safety. And though the Admiral probably only needed a split second to draw his blade it was that split second that could cost her her life. She didn't even have a scabbard because after she had decided to never sheathe her blades she had discarded them.

The stone needed some channelling time before they appeared inside the ship, under deck. It could have been a room in a house if not for the strong smell of the sea and the slight movement of the floor, a gentle rocking notion that was caused by the waves. Everything was wooden, the floor, the ceiling and the walls. The only furniture was a sturdy desk with a chair, a bed, attached to the wall, and a large chest at its foot. On one side small windows were looking onto the sea and a huge pelt was used as carpet in front of the bed. The room wasn't very large but it was surely the room of the captain of the ship, in this case, Kunkka's.

"Very practical, this Hearth Stone." The Naga Siren noted. "Does it work when the ship is on sea as well or only when it's in a harbour?"

"We are on sea."

"Oh, well, that answers my question, then."

Kunkka grinned. "Come, sweetheart, I'll show you around. You won't be able to leave my ship until we reach the next harbour. So you might as well get to know her."

Slithice stopped. "I won't be able to leave?"

His grin got wider as he shook his head. "No, no leaving. Unless you have a Hearth Stone of your own."

"You try to trap me here? Did you know that? Did you know your ship would be on the sea?"

"Let's say, I suspected it. Since I gave the order to my crew to sail as far away from land as possible, when I departed. In case Rylai needs a temporarily safe place, my ship has to function as one."

Now it was the Naga's turn to smile. "It's sweet that you think I can't leave only because we are on the sea, maybe even hundreds of miles away from any land. You do realize I'm a Slithereen? And you do know where we live?"

"Damn, I really didn't think about that. That's sad, I had hoped I could get you to spend some time with me." He had his thumbs hooked into his belt while he looked at her. He had already, after only a few seconds, adjusted to the sway of the ship under his feet because he didn't even loose his balance as the motion of the ship increased, probably due to higher waves. He was totally accustomed to the sea and its moods.

It was fascinating to see a human so at ease with her living environment. It wasn't very common.

"Have you thought about asking? It is a very pirate like way to abduct a woman into your ship."

And there his grin reappeared. "I _know_. But most women dig me being pirate."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Maybe if you are a polite pirate."

"Understood. So, would you care to spend some time with me on my ship?"

"I don't know if I want to delay my quest so long. Two town wars in a row were long enough. But depending on where your ship is going it makes no odds for me to stay aboard instead of swimming."

"Well, since I'm the captain and all, I could change the course to your liking."

It seemed like she _would_ spend some time with Kunkka. There was simply no reason to leave if he brought her to any place she wished. And she still had to see his treasures because he really could have what she was searching for. It wasn't unrealistic and Slithice thought that maybe she should have looked for pirates sooner. In all the time she had never asked a pirate if he might have seen the chalice.

"Then I'll take your offer to show me around."

Indicating her weapons, he said: "You can put them away. You won't need your blades on my ship. It is safe."

Slithice shook her head. "I feel never safe without my blades in my hands."

But that was a lie. The sentence had been true her whole life but as she said the words now, she registered they weren't true anymore. She had felt safe since she had left the town war with Kunkka's team. She hadn't thought about it until now, but she realized that her ever present fear of an attack was gone. Maybe only temporary, but nonetheless gone.

The Admiral shrugged. "You know that it will be complicated enough as a Slithereen in a ship. The blades in your hands will only hinder you further. But I think I understand you. You travel alone much, don't you? It must be hard to be always watchful and alert."

He left the cabin and the Naga followed. She stared at the broad back in front of her and tried to find out if her missing fear was due to his presence. He had that aura of confidence around himself, like he would be able to win every battle, to solve all problems, to best any opponent. Simply by looking at him it made one question if attacking him was a wise decision. And to have someone like that as an ally… how could she not feel safe? It wasn't as if she couldn't defend herself. She had done so on many occasions, but especially big males tended to underestimate her and see her as an easy victim. And for those she always had to be prepared. She was skilled but a surprise attack could kill even the strongest and most skilled of creatures. She simply lacked the better-for-you-if-you-don't-touch-me aura. This I'm-too-dangerous-for-you thing the Admiral excelled in, even with his blade sheathed.


	7. Chapter 6

Kunkka and Slithice descended to the lower deck. Walking through the ship the Admiral pointed everything out that might be important for her. That included the kitchen, the armoury, the physician, the cabins for the officers, the craftsmen and a guest cabin for her. The storerooms were one deck deeper and they didn't go there. As were the canons, a prison, the treasure chamber and the cabin for the seamen.

Everyone they met greeted the Admiral with the utmost respect. Some asked if he needed something or updated him on recent events. Some even asked after the Crystal Maiden and how she was doing. And then a giant of a man joined them. He greeted Slithice with a nod and then he began to talk a mile an hour. He talked about so many different things, which mostly didn't interest the Naga Siren, that she stopped listening.

They climbed to the main deck and Slithice, who had never seen the sea from the deck of a ship, slid to the railing. She tried not to be in the way of the sailors, who were working all around her, but as soon as she was standing there, the only thing between herself and the sea a few planks, she forgot everything around her. She had been away from her natural environment for a long time now and as the scent of salt and water hit her, she closed her eyes and started to hum a song from the depth. Drops of sea water hit her when a higher wave crashed against the hull and she took a deep breath. The water was cool on her skin and the drops slowly trailed down her body. She was a second away from letting herself fall forward to tumble into the water, when a warm hand grasped her shoulder, the grip firm but gentle, followed by a deep voice.

"You said you would spend some time with me. I won't let you get away so easy. Besides, this is dangerous water, even for a Slithereen, or maybe especially for a Slithereen."

Slithice grimaced slightly. Not because he had kept her from tumbling into the water but because he had had to do so. The lure of the sea was strong, its song a constant temptation.

But she knew that she couldn't return home before she had completed her quest. As much as she would wish differently.

"Are you alright?" His voice held real concern and he was frowning at her. She was, as much as she could be in this eternal quest.

So she straightened her shoulders and smiled at the Admiral. "Maybe you could show me your treasure and I can have a look at it, if the item I'm searching for is among it?"

"You come to the point without delay. I would suggest, though, that we get something to eat first. I'm starving! After the town wars my body always seems to be lacking energy. And we are not in a hurry. The nearest port we could go to is three days away. I can show you where we are on a map in the navigation cabin and you can tell me where you would like to be taken. But first, food."

He squeezed her shoulder lightly. He hadn't taken his hand away and, in addition, he was standing rather close. Slithice could feel the calluses on his palm against her skin, the warmth of his body and the strength of his hand. She tried to take only shallow breaths and retain a passive expression, though her heart suddenly beat considerately faster than before. She wanted to lean into him to soak his warmth, to feel the strength of his body. He seemed always so solid while Slithice felt lost in her endless search for a treasure she couldn't find, like she was drifting through the world without an anchor. Nothing to really focus onto, just a never-ending journey. She longed for something solid in her life, if only for a few moments, and so she followed him into his cabin for a meal.

The Naga Siren would enjoy being with the Admiral for as long as she was on his ship and when she left, she would stay away from him. There was no other option because as soon as she had found the chalice she would return to the Slithereen Guard and he could never follow her there. She would use him as some temporary anchor in her life because the feeling of safety in his presence was a relief for her body and her mind. Though she would never tell him _that_.

The meal wasn't very private. Every few minutes someone entered the room to ask some question or to give some information. Kunkka wasn't the least fazed by it. He was probably used to it and he was always polite and attentive. Slithice didn't mind either, because it was enough for her to be near Kunkka to feel calm and centred. And safe. She didn't flinch once when someone entered the room and she had both her swords lying next to her on the table. She had even let her illusion vanish and not solely because there was no room for them.

The food was good, better than she would have expected on a pirate ship. She had long ago stopped to eat only Slithereen meals, because where should she get those in a desert or in a jungle? She had grown accustomed to many different cooking styles, but this one was near to the Slithereen way and she really liked it. When she couldn't get one more bite down she leaned back in her chair and sighed. She was smiling a little because she felt absolutely relaxed. When she turned her head to look at the Admiral sitting next to her, she saw that he was staring at her.

He must have finished eating for a bit now because the cabin boy had already taken his plate away. Since then no one had entered the cabin again and Slithice realized that he must be staring at her for a while. She hadn't noticed it until now and she always knew when someone was watching her. At her look, from his face to the empty table in front of him, then to his face again, he grinned.

"It seems you have been hungry as well."

Blushing, she looked at her now empty plate. She had been hungry and now that she thought about it, she had eaten quite a lot.

He laughed and she looked at him from under her lashes. He was gorgeous, his eyes sparkling with joy, his smile bright and she thought she caught the glimpse of dimples, hidden underneath his full beard.

"Don't be embarrassed. I don't care how much you eat. I'm simply not used to it, because Rylai and Medusa don't need much. It is a compliment to the cook, too. I think he took care to serve something a Slithereen would like." His gaze travelled along her body and Slithice blushed harder, nervous under his assessing gaze, though she didn't really know why. "Rylai was right, it is fascinating how you skin colour can change. You look extremely elfin when you are light pink like now."

The Naga Siren frowned. His voice sounded as if he was complimenting her but his words were not matching. 'Elfin' was more like an insult then a compliment.

He stared at her for a few more moments before he stood abruptly. "Come, we go to the navigation room so we can change our course to your liking."

Without waiting for a response he left the chamber. That had been strange now, Slithice thought, but she simply grabbed her blades and followed.

The navigation chamber wasn't far and when she entered, the Admiral was already leaning over a map on the table, a man with extremely short, blond hair next to him pointing at something with a small stick. She joined them and the man greeted her, flashing a bright smile. "Welcome on board, Naga Siren. I'm the navigator of this ship. My name is Drake. The captain already told me that you will be setting the new course for us." He then showed her where they were on the map and which cities were near enough to reach in a few days. Slithice knew some of them because she had been there. But she found herself looking for a port that was far away, a port that would allow her to remain longer on board of Kunkka's ship then three days. She scanned the map, going over the name of every town, trying to decide which one could be a good place to keep searching. In the end she pointed at one town she had never heard about but which was near the edge of the map.

At the same moment where she named the destination she cursed herself inwardly. Why was she torturing herself? First she accepted the Admiral's offer to show her his treasure and now she extended her time on this ship as long as possible. Yes, she felt good when she was near the Admiral but how would she feel when she had to leave? When she had grown used to this feeling of safety and calm? She would be even more lost then before, when she was on her own again. But though she knew all that she couldn't make herself chose another port.

Mad at herself she left the cabin but didn't know where to go then.

"Hey Siren, you all right?"

Slithice whirled around, ready to give Kunkka some angry response. But when she looked at him all her anger vanished. He seemed truly concerned.

"You are awfully unbalanced since we are on my ship. If you feel unwell being on board, just say it. I could probably find someone with a Hearth Stone to an inn in some town to get you out of here. I wanted to spend time with you and was definitely willing to trap you on my ship for that. But if you can't cope with being here, since you are a Slithereen and ships are not really your natural environment, I won't force you to stay."

Before she could think about it, she shook her head. The ship wasn't the problem but she would rather eat her tongue before telling him that she liked to be with him and that _that_ was the problem. It was extremely thoughtful and caring of him to consider that she might not be able to cope with being on a ship. She switched from this content feeling at his friendliness to fear of being apart from him again to anger at herself for letting him get to her. And she suspected it wouldn't change much in the next days. Nonetheless she wanted to stay. "No, the ship is no problem. I… maybe I'm just tired. It was a long day after all."

The Admiral looked a little sceptical but didn't dig deeper. "You want me to show you the treasure tomorrow?"

 _Oh_. Slithice had all but forgotten about the treasure. Why had she named a destination town when she hadn't even looked if the Admiral had the chalice on his ship? _Because the destination would still be the same._ If she found the chalice on this ship, she would still want to stay aboard for as long as possible. Because then she would _definitely_ never see him again. As long as her quest continued, she could always come back, fight another town war or ask him if he had heard something about the chalice on his journeys. With the chalice she would go back to the Slithereen, she would restore her honour and would retake her place in the Slithereen Guard, a task in which she would very seldom travel to the surface, if at all, and surely never to be friendly with some human male.

"Yes, let's postpone the treasure until tomorrow."

They stood in the corridor, staring at each other. Slithice took him in as he was standing there and just couldn't make herself move.

Kunkka raised his brows. "You want me to show you to your cabin?"

"Maybe." She hesitated. "I don't know."

He laughed. "And you expect me to know? Well, I have another idea. Come."

Slithice followed him as he walked through his ship. They stepped onto the main deck but Kunkka kept going. The sun was setting, the sky coloured in deep red and purple shades, small clouds creating lighter blotches. In the depths they didn't see the sun, ever. They had some light but it had always the same colour, no matter what time of the day, because it was made by the Slithereen. At first it had been strange to have bright days and dark nights but Slithice had grown to like the sun, if she wasn't somewhere in the desert where she couldn't find shelter. Her skin was still, even after centuries on the land, sensitive to too much sun and heat but as long as she could find some shadow she didn't care. She liked the colours the sun could create, all over the land and in the sky.

When they reached the prow and rounded the forecastle, the wind was streaming around her body, bringing the smell of water and salt. She stopped next to Kunkka, who stood with his face turned forward, looking at the horizon ahead. "This is my favourite place on board. I've had the shipwright design it so the figurehead doesn't block my vision and the bowsprit was high enough that I can stand underneath."

He leaned his forearms on the railing. The wind made his coat flap behind him and his hair was even more tussled than usual. This was the place where he belonged. He didn't seem out of place on the land or in the town war, but here he became one with his surroundings. His movements were absolutely synchronized with the ship and the waves, like he was a part of it. Like Slithice, he belonged to the sea. It was a different form, but she could sense it. She hadn't noticed it earlier but here he was in his element.

Turning around the Admiral caught her staring. "You admiring the view?" His lips twitched. His eyes had changed and now they were not simply green anymore but a deep jade colour, like the depths, his hair and beard like the rocks in the dark. Everything about him looked darker and bluer, like the water of the sea. Back on his ship he had become a creature of the sea instead of a simple human and the only thing that remained distinctively human, was his skin.

Slithice was transfixed by this male and when he smiled, her heart began to beat faster, harder than before. He stepped closer and placed his palm on her cheek. Slithice tilted her head back a little, to keep eye contact. Still smiling he leaned forward and she knew he was about to kiss her. She didn't want it but at the same time craved for the taste of him on her lips. His hand was warm on her face and his breath fanned over her skin. Slithice closed her eyes and waited, both in anticipation and fear, for the touch of his mouth against hers.

The moment was broken by a man, who came running around the forecastle that was shielding them from the main deck, and skidded to a halt next to them.

"Captain, sorry sir, the first officer wants to have the evening meeting in a few minutes and wanted to let you know about it so you can join. Want me to tell him you don't have time?" His gaze darted to Slithice and back to the Admiral.

"No. I'll be there in a few minutes. Tell them to wait."

He turned his attention back to the Naga. "Now, Siren, back to you." But before he could do anything, she slid back a few feet to bring some distance between them. Kunkka's now empty hand dropped to his side. When he wanted to follow her, she raised one of her blades, its tip pointing at his chest. "Stop." It was surely a little exaggerated, but the move originated in the fear that she might actually _like_ kissing him. Her heart was beating too fast, the blood racing through her body. And she felt threatened by the feelings the man evoked in her. "I don't want you that close to me. I said I would spend time with you, not be your fling. Please don't try something like that again. No kissing, no touching. And no flirting."

The interruption of the man had made Slithice able to think clearly again and she knew with all her being that to let Kunkka kiss and touch her was the best way to destroy herself. To stop him now was an act of self-preservation. She already knew that she liked him, and that he could make her heart beat faster. And she was absolutely sure that kissing him would be spectacular, not to mention the sex. But she was a Slithereen and he was a human. As soon as she found the chalice, she would return to the depths, to the Slithereen Guard, while he would stay above the water.

"You think you would be a fling?" He frowned. He wanted to say more but Slithice interrupted him.

"It doesn't matter. I just don't want."

After looking at her, searching for the truth of her words, he nodded. "I won't try anything like that again, if it is really your wish."

"It is." Slithice said it with as much conviction as she could muster. It wasn't the best because she didn't sound as convincing as she would have liked. But it had to do and she hoped the Admiral would take it as enough. She didn't have the strength to reject him again, and definitely not for the next three days.

"Okay. I'll go to the meeting now. Do you want me to show you to your cabin first?" His expression was hard to read, it had changed into a completely neutral look, something she had never seen on him before. But though some part of her longed to replace it with his usual smile, another part of her knew that if she didn't set the boundaries now, she would be lost.

"No, thank you, I'll stay here for a bit longer. I'll find my cabin on my own, otherwise I'm sure I can ask someone for help."

"Come to the deck when you are awake tomorrow. I wish you a good night."

"You as well."

Then he was gone. It was almost dark now, only a few stripes of orange and red remaining at the horizon. Slithice didn't care. She stared at the water ahead, the rolling of the waves soothing and familiar. The water was black in the fading light. When the last colour at the sky had faded, Slithice left the bow of the ship. She wouldn't see anything now anyway so she could as well head to her cabin. She wasn't really tired but exhausted from the events of the day. Though it had probably been a few weeks rather then one day since the town war where she had met the Admiral for the first time.

Time during the town wars passed very unpredictably and sometimes half a year in the real world had gone by while at other times it had only been a few days while she had been at war.


	8. Chapter 7

Moving through the ship the Naga Siren was careful not to bump into one of the sailors, who were still working everywhere. She hadn't paid much attention to the ways the Admiral had taken when he had showed her around, so as soon as she had descended one level to the deck where her cabin had to be, she was lost to which direction she had to take.

It was no problem though, because she wasn't even standing there for a minute when a boy passed her and stopped.

"My lady, would you like for me to attend you to your cabin? I'll wait in front of the door until you know if something is amiss so I can get it for you."

Slithice smiled because of how polite the boy was. He had even phrased it so it wouldn't seem as if she wasn't able to find the cabin on her own. "That would be very kind of you."

She followed him and, for the first time on the ship, she conjured her three images to surround her. Until they fell in step with her now she hadn't realized it, but as soon as she was in Kunkka's presence, she didn't need them to feel safe. Though it had become an automatic action over the centuries she didn't use this ability with the Admiral around. It had to be some subconscious thing because the boy in front of her surely was no danger and regardless of that she had conjured the images before she even registered what she was doing.

The boy stopped in front of a door that looked exactly like all the others they had passed. She would never have found the right cabin on her own.

"My lady."

The room was very small, only containing a narrow bed, a chest placed between the foot of the bed and the wall, and a table with a wash basin but no chair, for which wouldn't be space anyway. The basin was filled with water and a cloth was lying next to it. A glowing stone bathed the room in a soft light. It was the most basically furnished room she had ever seen. But it would do. She would only have to sleep here, nothing else.

"My lady, do you require something?"

"No. Thank you for your assistance."

"It was my pleasure. Have a good night."

Then he was gone and Slithice was alone in the tiny room. She closed the door and sat on the bed, since it was the only available seating. This cabin was definitely not designed for species that were not human or human-like. She would never fit completely on the bed and even seating she had to watch where she put her tail. She couldn't place one of her images in the room with her, so she let them dissolve. But she had heard about ships without guest cabins, where everyone except the captain had to sleep in one big room, and in hammocks to boot. So she was grateful to have at least privacy here. She made herself as comfortable as possible and stared at the ceiling above her.

Into what had she gotten herself here? She let her thoughts drift, going through all she had experienced since she had first met the Admiral. She tried not to focus on him overmuch, but in the end the last thing she saw before she fell asleep was Kunkka, standing on the main deck of his ship, grinning broadly.

She woke to the sound of a bell. It was awfully loud and followed by the hurried padding of multiple feet on the deck above her. Her cabin was dark but as she moved, the stone on the table began to glow, softly at first. The bell sounded again and though Slithice would have liked to go to sleep again, she was awake now. And hungry. It had to be very early still, but she was used to little sleep. She couldn't afford to fall into a deep sleep as long as she was in the wild because she would be too vulnerable then. Even when she took a room in an inn she didn't feel safe enough to sleep long and woke to the tiniest sound, like the rustling of some leaves or the creaking of a floor board.

Hoping to find the Admiral somewhere on the main deck she stood, using the cold water in the basin to wash a little and to wet her skin, before she left the cabin. She took a moment to decide which way would take her to the main deck but she wasn't that bad at orientation and she _did_ remember where she had come from. And sure enough, she found the ladder to get one deck higher.

In addition to the pounding from the sailors boots on the wooden floor she could hear shouting now as well. And just as her head poked out from the hole in the main deck she could hear the Admiral. His voice was louder than all the other sounds and it held such a commanding tone that she didn't wonder the least why he was the least challenged and most successful captain in the world.

On the main deck Slithice got a general idea of what was going on around her. It wasn't panicked or suspense-packed activity prior to an attack. But it wasn't the normal activity either. In case of a fight she could have helped but with everything else she was useless. She just wanted to head back under deck, maybe to find the cook and get something to eat, when she saw Kunkka.

He was standing on the forecastle, only scarcely visible in the dark around the ship. The deck was dimly illuminated by the glowing stones but only enough to let the sailors see where they put their feet as not to shine like a beacon in the night.

Slithice knew she was staring but the Admiral was magnificent. He was tall and dark and though chaos was around him he was totally unmoved by it, calm and focused. And she couldn't make herself look away. It was fascinating to see him commanding the whole crew of this ship, which wasn't small, and she was sure that he knew what each and every sailor was doing. Only after a few minutes she registered a man standing next to Kunkka. He was nearly as tall but more slender. It had to be the first officer.

A man stopped in front of her. "My lady, the captain suggests you either join him on the forecastle or go to his cabin. The cook will have breakfast ready there in a few minutes and when we have passed the reef he will eat there anyway."

With one last look at the gorgeous man commanding this ship she headed down. She would have loved to go to him but she knew the more time she spent with him the harder it would be when they had to part. The man followed her and then took the lead to show her to Kunkka's cabin. Without another word he left and Slithice took a seat at the table. She didn't have to wait long before breakfast arrived. The Naga's stomach growled and she filled her plate as soon as everything was placed on the table top.

When she had eaten enough to slake the worst hunger she went to one of the windows and watched the sunrise over the ocean, leaving her swords lying on the table. It was beautiful to see the sun colouring the water and the sky.

The door opened and closed again but Slithice didn't move. She seldom had such an open view to watch the sun so she took the opportunity. The Admiral stepped next to her and brought the smell of cold wind and salty water with him. She was hyper aware of him standing there, a little too close, but not unpleasant. He didn't speak, simply stood there and watched the sunrise with her. It was a very peaceful moment and when the circle of the sun wasn't touching the horizon anymore, its light now too painful to look at, they both sat down at the table.

"You could have joined me on the forecastle. It would have been no trouble."

The Naga Siren raised her gaze from her plate, slowly, wandering from his dishevelled clothes to his ruffled beard, his smiling mouth and to his deep green eyes. "I know." Her voice was soft because though she had decided to not join him she somehow regretted it. She could have watched him commanding the crew of his ship up close. Could have felt the power, the determination and the confidence he exuded. And would have fallen even harder for him.

He frowned at her. "Are you all right? You look pale."

"I look always pale. And yes, I am all right. What was the problem this morning that there was such uproar so early?"

"Nothing uncommon. The lookout thought he had seen uneven movement of the water ahead, which might indicate a reef. We had to change our course very abruptly without being able to see much in the dark. That means slowing down as well. We had to strike the sails and put lookouts on all sides of the ship as not the take the wrong course and sail right into the reef. The man in the crow's nest had been right, there was a reef. But he reacted fast enough and we were able to circumnavigate it. So, have you slept well your first night on a ship?"

They could have crashed if the lookout hadn't seen the reef. He had to be really good to see something like 'uneven water movement' in the dark. And Kunkka brushed it away as uncommon. Many ships had sunk because the captain hadn't reacted fast enough or the lookout hadn't seen a reef. And this far out on the sea nobody would have been able to help them. The scenario could as well have ended in a sunken ship and a drowned crew. Slithice was sure the Admiral was aware of that fact but maybe it really wasn't an uncommon event. In any case he had stayed calm through it all and it must have had an effect on the crew, too, because nobody had seemed panicked or overly worried. They trusted their captain with their lives and it told _her_ something about him as a captain.

She took his change of subject. "The bed was a little small but it was rather pleasant. The movement of the ship is relaxing."

Kunkka grimaced. "I'm sorry, we don't have bigger cabins or beds. I gave you the most comfortable one after mine. It does work for a few more night, doesn't it?"

"I've slept in worse places." She smiled. "The bed is very comfortable after all and it doesn't concern me much when my tail is dragging on the floor."

"I'm glad." They looked at each other, both smiling. Abruptly the Admiral turned away from her and took some of the food on the table and without another word he started eating. It seemed strange but Slithice didn't comment on it and took a second breakfast herself.

After a few minutes in silence the Admiral began to talk again. "You have really never been on a ship before, have you?"

"It's not necessary normally. Besides, I don't like to be in such constricted quarters with so many people. It is too unsafe."

"Yet you are here with me. And I have noticed that you don't have you images around. You even put your blades onto the table, outside of your reach, but didn't twitch when I entered the room earlier."

He didn't ask any question so the Naga Siren didn't answer to his statement but kept eating, her gaze glued to the plate in front of her. She knew those things as well and she knew that he was the reason for it. But no way would she tell him so she could as well remain silent.

When he realized she wouldn't answer he resumed talking. He didn't ask any more questions and she was grateful for that. She listened when Kunkka began to tell her stories about being on the sea. Tales about being on a ship for long periods of time. And tales about him encountering some of her race, good encounters as well as bad ones. She relaxed and leaned back in her chair, smiling at some of the things he told.

Only when a knock on the door interrupted him did she realize that they had been sitting there for hours now. She enjoyed listening to him, his deep voice soothing, so very different from the voices of the Slithereen. They had to be loud and shrill, due to them living under the water. She had totally lost track of time in the Admiral's presence.

The boy, who had led her to her cabin the previous night, appeared. He poked his head in hesitantly. "Sorry to disturb you, captain, but the first officer sent me. He wants to talk about our course with you. He's in the navigation cabin."

He left before Kunkka could even open his mouth to reply. The Admiral turned to Slithice. "You want to accompany me? We could have a look at my treasures afterwards if you like."

Oh, the treasure. The reason why she was even on this ship. She had forgotten all about it, even though it was her foremost goal to get the chalice back and to return to the Slithereen Guard.

It was confusing, to have that, which had always been the only thought in her mind, slip into unimportance so suddenly. But, she had never before felt so relaxed and at ease. Maybe it was good for her to clear her head, to have a change of scenery and not be so utterly focused on finding the chalice for a few days.

In the navigation chamber Slithice automatically created her images and stepped to one of the windows. Four Naga Sirens stared out onto the sea and the rolling waves. She didn't listen to what the men were discussing. Something about not taking the direct route because of more riffs or such a thing. Instead she let her mind drift a bit.

When someone tapped her on the shoulder she startled. She whirled around, her blades striking, though the rational part of her mind told her it could only be Kunkka, because no one else would have found the real Naga with such accuracy. And because it was him, it wasn't dangerous. He was already out of reach and her blades cut through empty air, as did the blades of all her images.

He had his hands raised, palms open, and his eyebrows were raised. His mouth was curled into a half smile. "Already trying to get rid of me? I'm disappointed."

"Did no one ever tell you not to touch a warrior without warning?" Her tone was sharp and she was frowning but not because he had touched her. It was, she admitted grudgingly to herself, because she could have harmed him and the thought tied her stomach into knots.

His smile grew softer and less playful. "It's okay, nothing happened, don't worry. You won't be able to harm me in such a situation. And to my defence: I have to say, I _did_ call you more than once."

That was strange. She did believe that he had called her but she never ever in her life had been so absent minded that she didn't hear what was going on around her.

She frowned but when she wanted to say something, he interrupted her. "Come, I have a little time now. Let's see if we can find what you are searching for among my treasures."

She followed him along the corridor and to the lower deck. This time she kept her images with her because she felt uneasy. Not unsafe, but uneasy. It originated more out of herself. She wasn't someone who could be surprised and she feared that she had grown too relaxed in the Admirals presence. If she didn't work against it now, who knew what would happen when she was on her own again? Her images gained her a strange look from Kunkka, but she ignored it. It wasn't his place to judge her actions, though he was right in eyeing her. She _did_ behave unpredictable and unreasonable.


	9. Chapter 8

The treasure chamber was in the deepest part of the ship and at the stern. The door wasn't locked and when Kunkka stepped into the room and Slithice could look into it, she froze. There were gold and gems everywhere. The room was full with it, up to the ceiling. In the soft light of a glowing stone everything shone and glittered and sparkled. The Naga Siren was transfixed by it and could only stare, her mind not really able to process what she was seeing.

A chuckle made her look at the Admiral but she turned back towards the treasure immediately. She just couldn't help herself, it was absolutely glorious to see so many shiny things in one place. The Slithereen had such treasures, but it had been so long ago that she had been with them, she had forgotten how it was to look at so much gold and jewels. The pirate captain definitely was _filthy_ rich.

When she kept staring, completely ignoring the Admiral, he must have decided it was enough. He stepped into her line of sight, blocking her view into the chamber. He was grinning broadly, his thumbs hooked into his belt.

"I have heard a Slithereen is like one of these birds, who steal everything that is shiny. One can even lure you into traps with a treasure. I have never believed that because it seems somehow wrong for an intelligent race to be caught with gold and gems, but when I see you staring at all these things, I'm not so sure anymore that it is only a myth."

His tone was teasing and Slithice wrinkled her nose. "We are _not_ like those birds. And we _are_ not fixed like that on treasures. No one can lure us into an obvious trap that easily."

He raised his eyebrows. "But into a not so obvious one?"

The Naga Siren opened her mouth. And hesitated. Because she couldn't deny it. And Kunkka laughed. He leaned towards her, his eyes sparkling. "So, what would you give me to get another look at my treasure? Or maybe, for me to let you touch it?"

For a second she would have said: everything. Then her mind started to work again. "You cannot buy me like that. As if I would wish to look at the treasure so much that I would give something for it."

"The difference between you and those birds is: you don't forget everything around you when you see something shiny. You are still able to think and act reasonable." He straightened. "Now tell me, what item are you looking for in your quest? You'll never be able to search the whole room in a few days but I know what is inside. Tell me what you seek."

"That was your goal from the beginning, wasn't it? To take me here, show me how many things you have and then coax me into telling you what I am looking for. "

He was grinning again. "Of course. But to get the information from me if it is among my treasure, you'll have to pay me. Tell me what you seek and I'll tell you how much my answer is worth."

Her mind was reeling. She had no choice than telling him and after she had seen what was in the room it was even likely that the chalice was here. And he said he wanted to be paid for his answer. So it was no help for free, it was a service she bought from him. And that was totally legal.

So she told him about the chalice. She explained how it looked like up to the smallest detail, where it came from originally, how big, how heavy, everything that could be of help when wanting to identify the right object. When she began to talk, he was frowning, but the more she told him about the chalice, the more he smiled. And when she was finished with the description she knew that he knew where the item was. And she was sure it wasn't in the chamber behind him.

He confirmed it a second later. "I know who has the chalice. And I know where to find him. But first I want my payment."

"How much?" This time she knew she would give every last coin without hesitation, to be finally able to finish her quest. But Kunkka shook his head.

"Not 'how much'. I want one of your bracelets. The one on your left upper arm. This will do as payment."

"Seriously?" Slithice was confused. The bracelet was fine work but it wasn't worth much. The Admiral nodded. It was suspicious. But since she trusted him and it only was a bracelet, she agreed. As soon as he had it in his hand his smile morphed into a wide grin.

"You are the luckiest woman on earth, because you are going to spend another three months on my ship while we take course to a small island where a smuggler goblin sells his wares."

The Naga Siren stared at the Admiral with open mouth. He had tricked her into staying on his ship for another _three months_! "Tell me where this island is. I can swim there. Or something else."

Tucking the bracelet into a pouch on his waist, grinning all the time, he shook his head. "No. Not that you couldn't find another way to get there, but it is a sworn secret not to tell the location of the island. You couldn't get me to tell you with all the gold in the world. Your only choice is to stay with me or to search for someone who knows about the island and can bring you there. But I can tell you that there are only a few creatures in the world who know how to get there. I would suggest you are glad about the low price I demand for taking you there and enjoy your time on my ship."

He grabbed the door handle and closed the door behind his back. Slithice backed away a little to have enough space between them. She was still shocked about the fact that she was going to stay with the Admiral for _three whole months_. She felt as if her mind wasn't working properly, like it couldn't wrap around the fact. First, that he knew where the chalice was and second that he would take her there. That she would eat with him, talk with him and spend time with him for such a long time. Suddenly she was afraid. She had already grown to liking him and she only knew him a few days. What would happen in three months? She was almost too afraid to think about it but to be true: she would fall in love with him, as sure as the sun rose every morning.

And then she would leave. With his help. Her body was assaulted by so many different emotions that she kind of switched into autopilot and automatically followed Kunkka down the corridor. He said nothing but she was sure she wouldn't have been able to answer anyway. She didn't know where he took her and she didn't care. She tried to get her feelings under control, tried to block the delight of being able to spent time with Kunkka, the despair of having to part ways with him in three months, because then she would have the chalice back and would return to the Slithereen guard. Instead she tried to summon joy at being able to return home to her family. To be able to restore her honour.

But she couldn't.

When the Admiral stopped, she almost bumped into him. She looked around and realized they were in front of the forecastle, at his favourite place. The wind was stronger today, and colder. But the cold didn't bother her, she was a creature of the depths after all and there it was never warm.

Kunkka looked serious when he pinned his gaze onto her, nothing left from the grinning pirate.

"You don't want to stay, am I right?"

"I…" Slithice didn't know what to say. Of course she wanted to stay, with him. But she was afraid of her attachment to him. She was already used to his presence. And she didn't want to hurt herself when she would leave.

He shook his head. "It's okay. I know a ship is not your favourite environment and I know a human pirate captain is not your preferred company. The problem is: I can't tell you the location of the island, I can't, as much as I would wish to help you. So the only way for you there is by ship. I could only offer to contact one of the men I know, who can take you there. He is a blood elf, so maybe you would prefer him over me."

His voice was neutral, revealing nothing of his feelings, but Slithice had the distinct impression that the idea was bothering him. He had seemed wholeheartedly happy when he had said she would remain on his ship. He had definitely been looking forward to it. Nonetheless he was offering her to contact another captain to get her to the island with the goblin. He was helping her, trying to make her comfortable, like she had suspected he would. Though a pirate, he had this selfless way, helping others without bothering what happened to him. Like he had been with the Crystal Maiden.

And Slithice decided she didn't want to take the joy he had had with the prospect of spending time with her from him. It wasn't fair that he thought about her happiness while she also only thought about her happiness. Because, who would look after Kunkka, then? He himself not and she neither.

She made a decision. It was too soon to think about what would happen when she was on the island. Maybe the goblin had sold the chalice or it was the wrong one. It was no use to agonize about what _might_ be. She didn't really want to think about why Kunkka wanted to spend time with her, but if he enjoyed it, she wouldn't take it from him.

Taking a deep breath, the air cool and fresh, she vocalized her decision. "No, I want to stay. With you, on your ship. I'm sorry I gave the impression that I didn't like it here, I never…"

She didn't get any further because the Admiral looped his arms around her and hugged her. He pinned her arms to her sides, preventing any movement, and crushed her body against his. It was over before she realized what was happening and he was grinning again. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I'm glad you'll stay."

"Um, no problem." She didn't know what else to say to his display of affection. It had only been a second but she could still feel his body against hers, making her skin tingle slightly. Her mind had short-circuited and she had kind of forgotten what she had been about to say.

"Now that we have three whole months together, what would you like to do?"

"Do?"

"Yes, do. You don't think we will sit around all day and twirl our thumbs?" He gestured at someone behind her and the boy came running. "Tell the navigator to change our course. We are heading for the forgotten continent. When we are there, I'll take over." The boy nodded and left.

"Um, what do you do on a ship?" Slithice had absolutely no idea.

"Oh, I see, you have much to learn." His tone spoke of fun and the Naga Siren smiled. It would be fun, three months with the Admiral. It would probably be the best time she had had in her life, maybe except for the time before she had been a Slithereen Guard. But that had been so long ago that she couldn't even remember how it had been. She had had a mate then and had lived with him on the surface. A long time ago.

Kunkka started for the lower deck but when he saw how Slithice struggled with the ladder, especially with her two blades in her hands, he stopped. "That will never do. You don't really want to run around with those swords in your hands for three months, do you?"

Slithice looked at her swords. Of course she had wanted to do that. She frowned. "You don't expect me to stash them somewhere? On a ship where I only know one person?"

"Okay, I'll change my plan for today. First priority is our weapon smith, then."

And so her three months stay on Kunkka's ship started with her getting sheaths for her blades. Everywhere else she would never have considered it, but here, with the Admiral by her side, it seemed absolutely practical. She could move faster through the ship with her hands free and she practiced to draw the blades to be able to defend herself fast enough should it be necessary. Though she didn't really believe it would be.

The coming weeks were all fun. She learned much about sailing, what to do in which situation, which routine the sailors were following, how sails were hoisted and struck and so on. She moved through the ship with fluid movements after a few days, used to the movement of the sea, and then she began to engage into practice fights with the Admiral and some of his men. It was different to fight on a ship, due to the limited space and the unpredictable movement of the floor. They laughed much together and she really enjoyed herself. She liked the Admiral more from day to day and since she had told herself not to think about the end of their time and simply live one day after the other, she didn't try to push those feelings away. It was nice to feel the tiny butterflies in her stomach when she saw him, even nicer how her body responded to his presence, and the best was how unbelievably happy she felt every time they were together.

Sometimes she and Kunkka just sat at the railing, fishing and talking or watching the sun and the sea. It was extremely peaceful and they didn't meet any trouble. The few ships they saw all turned away from them and Kunkka told her that he was feared as a famous pirate on the waters. He seldom found someone who was willing to attack him. He had had years to build this reputation and Slithice thought he liked the peace it brought him. He didn't look as if he missed the fighting and the challenges. So maybe he had always worked towards this day when no one would dare attack him anymore and he could just enjoy his life.

They were almost all the time together. They meat for breakfast and parted after dinner. The only time when she was alone was when Kunkka participated in the meetings with his first officer and the navigator, Drake. He had offered her that she could come as well but the Naga Siren wasn't really interested in what they discussed, so she declined.

She got used to being among so many people all the time and she learned that not all of them were human. Not even all of them were male. It was a good crew and they were always polite to her. Slithice watched how they interacted among themselves and how they behaved with their captain. Kunkka had found people for his pirate crew who were fierce but astonishingly loyal. They were all extremely talented with their weapons, though Slithice would be able to defeat everyone, but as soon as they were in pairs, they almost had a chance to get her. Nonetheless they were not brutal or aggressive.


	10. Chapter 9

This morning Kunkka had told Slithice that they were maybe one day away from the island. The information had wiped the smile from her face, which had appeared when she had seen the Admiral approaching. It should have been good news, but Slithice felt sad beyond words. She was standing in front of the forecastle, gazing at the horizon, but not really seeing anything. A few clouds were scattered on the blue sky, the sun somewhere at her back. The sea was quite, only small waves slapping against the ship from time to time.

One day was left of her time on the ship. Then she would have the chalice, the one thing she had been searching for centuries now.

The cabin boy, his name was Tidal, stepped next to her. "My lady, do you need something?"

Kunkka had told the boy one day that it should be his highest priority to get the Naga Siren everything she wanted, to be always there when she needed him and that her wish should be his command. He had taken this task very seriously and Slithice had grown to like the boy.

"No, thank you. I need nothing." Even her voice sounded sad.

The boy frowned. "Are you sure? You look very sad."

Slithice smiled, but it _was_ a sad smile. "I am sad, but there is nothing you can do about it. I thank you for your concern, though."

"My lady." The boy nodded and left. But only a few minutes later she could hear the heavy footsteps of the Admiral approaching. She had learned to discern the sound of his steps from those of all other sailors. She had learned so much about him and had enjoyed being in his company very much. Now this time was almost over.

"Siren. Are you all right?"

The boy probably had told him and, typical for the Admiral, he had dropped everything and come to her. It made her feel as if she was the most important thing in his life, and tears gathered in her eyes.

"Siren?" He sounded very concerned now but when he reached out with his hand to touch her, he stopped and let that hand fall back to his side. He hadn't touched her again after her request that he shouldn't do it (except for that one hug). Though he had looked as if he wanted to a few times. She was even sure that he had wanted to kiss her more than once, but to add to all his positive character traits, he stood to his words. He turned away from her and she knew that it was so he wasn't tempted to touch her. She closed her eyes but still she was absolutely aware of him next to her. She could feel him, all her senses awake and she wanted to be held by him so badly, it hurt. One tear rolled town her cheek and, for the first time since she knew the Admiral, he cursed.

"Damn it, Siren, tell me what is wrong? Tell me what I can fucking do!"

But she shook her head. "Nothing." If he held her, just once, she wouldn't be strong enough to leave him ever again. And what would the chalice gain her, then?

He sighed and leaned onto the railing, standing so close, their bodies were almost touching. "Is it something I did?"

"No." It was only a whisper. "You are wonderful."

And he was. The time with him had been wonderful. But it was about to end and she wanted to prepare for the moment when she had to leave.

They stood like that, side by side, both silently staring at the sea and the blue sky. Simply the presence of the Admiral calmed her until the agony that had appeared when she realized that she would leave the next day was almost gone. Only a dull ache remained, centred on her heart, but with that she could deal.

It was maybe an hour later when she turned towards Kunkka. "Thank you. I feel better now."

He smiled a little. "You are welcome. You want to talk about what is bothering you, now?"

For a second she was tempted, tempted to tell him that she loved him and that she didn't want to leave, but she didn't. She belonged to the Slithereen and not onto the ship of the most feared pirate captain in the world. And by telling him why she was so sad, she would only involve him in her own problems. So she just shook her head.

They didn't talk much the rest of the day, even at dinner it was unusually quiet.

And when Slithice woke the next morning, something was different. Taking her weapons, she headed to the main deck, where she saw that the ship wasn't moving anymore. It had anchored next to a small island, just big enough for a house with a garden and the aerie of a hippogriff on a patch of grass.

The crew was already up and working. And the Admiral just left the house on the island, followed by one of his sailors and then a goblin, at the moment Slithice approached the railing. A rope ladder was hanging from the side of the ship into the water and a small boat was tied to a runway in front of the house.

The three were talking to each other but they were too far away to make out any details. The Naga Siren wondered why he had gone to the island without her but he had probably not wanted to wake her. So now she waited as they took the boat and rowed back to the ship.

The goblin had vanished into his house again.

Kunkka's expression, when he climbed over the railing, was grim. He went to the forecastle without a word. Slithice followed him, confused by his behaviour.

As soon as they were out of sight from the crew, he took something from a pouch on his waist. It was the chalice. He held it out to her and the Naga Siren could only stare. It was the item she had been searching for year after year. Slowly she reached out and touched the chalice with the tips of her fingers, tracing the golden rim. It was real, not a dream.

She looked up, in the face of the man who had been able to accomplish within three months what she hadn't been able to for centuries. She hadn't even found a clue about the stolen treasure and he held it in his hand now.

"What is your price?" she asked, still not really able to process that she, finally, was able to finish her quest, to return home, to restore her honour.

Without another word he stepped in front of her so she had to tilt her head back a little to hold the eye contact. His features were unreadable. There was a second's pause, before he put his warm hand around the back of her neck and touched her lips with his. First, she was too stunned to move, then she tried to back away but realized that he was too strong. His hand prevented her from doing anything except stand still.

And then, when his lips moved over hers, she lost all coherent thoughts. Her body melted against his, her hands gripping the front of his shirt, not to push him away but to pull him closer. He was all around her, his power, his scent, the warmth radiating from his body. Her blood was racing through her veins, her heart felt as if it would explode and the butterflies in her stomach were going wild. She wanted to get closer to him, to feel every inch of his body pressed against hers.

Her mouth opened under his and when he swept his tongue in, she moaned.

Something clattered against the deck and Kunkka wrapped his arm around her waist to hold her even tighter.

He stopped kissing her and tried to get air into his lungs. They were both breathing heavy and Slithice looked at him with wide eyes. He had surprised her with the kiss and suddenly she was very aware of how their bodies were lined up against each other. With her hands still on his chest she pushed herself away from him (she would've never been able to push _him_ ). Her gaze fell onto the chalice, which was lying on the deck.

And then she reacted, her mind still not thinking clearly. She grabbed the chalice, stepped to the railing and took one last look at the Admiral. His chest was rising and falling too quickly and his expression was grim. It changed though, when he realised what she was about to do. But by then it was already too late. She pushed her body over the wood and fell. She hit the water and adjusted immediately to the change in her environment. The chalice in one hand she swam, as fast as she could, away from the man who had stolen her heart, into the depths of the sea, to join the Slithereen Guard again.

She pushed all thoughts about the last three months from her mind. She would restore her honour and re-join the Slithereen Guard, as she had craved to do for centuries now. It had been her goal since she had been cast out and she wouldn't waver from it now. Kunkka's face appeared in her mind, the shock on his face, the word 'no' on his lips, his hand outstretched, but she pushed it away, determined to forget him and to return to her old life.

She swam for two days, her blades in her hands and the chalice on her belt, surrounded by her images. On the third day two Slithereen, guards patrolling the border of their territory, saw her. They flanked her and escorted her to their underwater city.

Everything went smooth. She gave the chalice back to the leader of the Slithereen Guard and was immediately shown to a room. Later she was summoned to the leader and gave him her report about where she had found the chalice. He nodded at her. "You may join the guard again. You honour is restored."

She saluted and left for one of the battalion commanders to be assigned to a place among the guard.

The first days back in the depths passed quickly, but then the activities decreased. And Slithice had time to think. She had been paired with two others, so they could show her everything. A lot of things had changed over the time she had been gone, though many had stayed the same.

They were on patrol today on the outer border, around them nothing but water, the darkest blue. Everything was dark in the depths. And cold. And while they were swimming through the sea, Slithice suddenly missed all that she had left behind. She missed the colours, the sun and the warmth it brought. But most of all she missed Kunkka. The Slithereen were always grim and silent and though they were a like a big family, it didn't feel like that. The Naga Siren had never realized it before, but they were, even when they were together with others, always alone, apart from the rest.

Not only the deep made it dark in the sunken cities, the attitude of the Slithereen was responsible for this feeling of solitude and coldness that wouldn't go away, as well. Slithice felt lost. All this time she had wandered the surface, she had only wanted to be part of the Guard again but now it wasn't satisfying anymore. It felt wrong, as if she didn't belong here anymore.

When her duties were over, she swam through the city, looking at everything in the attempt to summon a sense of being home. It wouldn't come. She sat down on a fallen pillar on a small hill and gazed onto the houses underneath her. The restoration of her honour had been essential but this quest was over. Now she was floundering without an anchor.

She had been searching all the time for the stolen treasure to be able to get back and now that she was here, she only wanted to get away again. Maybe she just needed a few days to adjust. She _had_ been to the surface for a rather long time, after all. She watched some Slithereen swimming through the houses, a swarm of fish parting in front of them. Everything was silent, dulled in contrast to the surface. The sounds, the colours, the smells, even the emotions of the inhabitants seemed dulled.

Her mind drifted back to her time on the pirate ship. It had been loud, the sun bright, sometimes burning on her skin, but she had felt like a part of it all. There had always been laughter, someone talking to her, the Admiral spending time with her.

A Slithereen woman saw her and approached. It was one of the two she had accompanied today. She sat down next to her.

After a few minutes of silence she said: "You are not happy here."

Slithice shook her head. There was no use in denying it. "Maybe I just need a little time to get used to everything here again."

The woman looked at her. "Why did you return?"

What a strange question. "Because I'm a Slithereen and wanted to restore my honour. It was my task to bring the stolen treasure back."

"Your honour is restored."

"Yes. That's why I was allowed to join the Guard again."

"But why did you want to join the Guard again? It doesn't restore more honour. Or make you more of a Slithereen."

"It… I belong here. I don't know anything else."

"Then why are you not happy? What have you left on the surface?"

The Naga Siren looked at her hands. "A pirate on his ship." It was almost inaudible, her voice was so low.

"You seem upset about leaving him."

Her head whipped around. "Why do you ask all this questions?"

"Our commander has been watching you. He has seen that something is amiss and he wanted me to find out what. Whatever problem it is, he wants to solve it. He wanted me to tell you that you can talk to him about everything that might bother you. But I have a personal suggestion. Did you feel happy on that ship? Because if you were and you are not happy anymore since you are here, then you should think about your decision to join the Slithereen Guard again. I truly understand why you had to restore your honour but it won't be seen as a failure when you don't want to stay in the depths. Think about it, but whatever decision you make, though in _my_ eyes you should probably rethink staying were you feel unhappy, you have to go the our commander."

She rose and left. And Slithice stared at the city again. And began to doubt her decision to join the Slithereen Guard. Her honour had been important, that was sure, but did she really have to stay here? The woman was right, she didn't like it and she missed being above the water. But most of all she missed the man to whom she had lost her heart. The pirate captain with his loyalty, his humour, his friendliness, and, not to forget, his good looks.

And she wanted to be back by his side. His image appeared before her eyes again, the second when he had realized she intended to jump over board. The shock on his face at the moment he knew that he had lost her, that she would leave him.

He had been a gentleman, had remained on distance at her wish, though she was absolutely sure that he had wanted to touch her more than once. Maybe he had thought in those three months she would change her mind and come to him. But she hadn't. She had known that she had to return the chalice to the Slithereen and had wanted to protect her heart. It hadn't worked, because it hurt. Very much.

And all this time she had never thought about bringing the chalice back and then returning to the surface. It hadn't even crossed her mind, because, as she had said earlier, she was a Slithereen and didn't know anything else.

But maybe that wasn't true. Because she had felt as if she belonged when she had been with Kunkka. She had even begun to help the crew with their tasks, as if she was a sailor, too.

For an hour she mulled over it all, staying in the depths, returning to be part of the crew of a pirate ship, maybe doing something completely different.

In the end, she simply followed her heart. She wasn't happy to be in the sunken cities again and she suspected that it wouldn't change so easily over time. So why should she force herself to remain at a place she only wanted to leave?

After this decision, the rest was easy. Her commander as well as the leader of the Guard wished her farewell. They asked if they could use her as a contact person on the surface, to which she agreed, of course. She was a Slithereen after all, so if she could support the Guard from the surface, she would do so gladly.

She was escorted to the border of the realm of the sunken cities by four pairs of guards. It was a sign that she left with honour. When she had been outcast after the theft of the chalice, she had had no one to escort her.

They left her and Slithice created her images immediately. She was now on her own again. And the hardest part was: where should she start her search to find the Admiral? It seemed she had just swapped one search quest for another.


	11. Chapter 10

Regardless of where she wanted to start her search, she would have to stay close to the surface to see if there was a ship around. The problem with that was that close to the surface all kinds of dangerous creatures were swimming through the sea. She had to be extra careful. And so her search began.

She swam for days, eating little and sleeping even less. She had made a decision and, this time, it felt like she had made the right one. So now she didn't want to wait anymore, didn't want to be caught in an endless search like the last one had been. She saw many ships but they were all not Kunkka's. Every time she was close enough to register that she felt disappointed. How hard could it be to find one specific ship in this ocean?

Slithice had tried to head back to the goblin island, but somehow it wasn't there anymore. She was sure she had taken the right way, but at the place where the island should have been was only water. So it was some kind of enchanted island and Kunkka had been right. Only those who knew how to skirt the enchantment would be able to find it. Very interesting that the pirate captain had gained such trust from a smuggler goblin. But not very unexpected.

The ship was gone as well, of course. Why would he stay in one place anyway? So she had taken the route they had sailed, at least roughly, because since she hadn't been swimming, then, she wasn't completely sure that she followed it. Her orientation under the surface was exceptional, but above she wasn't always so sure about the right directions.

In addition she strayed from the route every time she saw a ship and approached it. She was faster than any ship but she wasn't sure if she would be able to catch the Admiral, if he had even taken this way.

A few days passed and Slithice became more and more desperate. Where would she go next, if she didn't find him here? Maybe back to the inn they had been or to the town wars. If she found the Crystal Maiden, the Gorgon or the Bane Elemental, they could probably help her.

But she shouldn't have worried so much. The Admiral Daelin Proudmoore wasn't nearly as hard to find as a chalice, stolen from the treasure of the Slithereen. Because he never hid and this time, he even wanted to be found.

His ship appeared on the horizon on the fourth week after the Naga Siren had left the Admiral. She didn't have to swim closer to know it. When she could see the silhouette of it, she was absolutely sure that this was the right one.

She was lucky that she didn't encounter any threats then, because she didn't pay any attention to her surroundings anymore. She was completely focused on her goal: catching the ship in front of her, no matter what.

The sun had just risen and was shining through some thin clouds that were more like mist then real clouds. The day promised to get sunny and warm. Slithice didn't care as she sped through the water, the ship growing bigger and bigger.

She neared from the stern and rounded the ship. It was going rather slow, which was probably the reason why she had been able to catch up in the first place.

And there, at the forecastle, she saw him. He had put his forearms on the railing and was gazing into the sea. Her heart skipped a beat at his sight and a smile, the first one since she had held the chalice in her hands, appeared on her face. But something wasn't right. He looked sad and tired and not like the carefree pirate captain she had gotten to know.

She moved farther along the ship until she was in front of it but had to keep moving so it wouldn't sail over her. Her head was sticking out of the water.

"Hey sailor."

At the sound of her voice Kunkka straightened abruptly, his eyes scanning the surface of the sea in front of him quickly. When his gaze landed on her he looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. For a second he simply stared at her and Slithice smiled up at him. She was a little unsure if he would be happy to see her again, maybe he was angry at her or something. But she just couldn't help herself, she had to smile. For the last weeks she had whished for nothing more than to see him again and all the tension that had built inside of her body vanished now.

Suddenly the Admiral moved away from the railing and began to shout orders over the deck. Slithice could hear feet running as the sailors followed his orders and the ship slowed down. Then the rope ladder was thrown over the side of the ship. But before the Naga Siren could get there a completely naked Kunkka jumped over the railing. He hit the water a few feet away from her. He was swimming in her direction before his head had left the water. When he stopped in front of her, his hair was sticking to his head and he was breathing heavy. He looked into her eyes and now he smiled as well. It was tentative, as was his question.

"You came back to me?"

"Yes. I came back to you."

He released a long, shuddering breath, before he kissed her. It was a somehow sloppy kiss, because he had to keep swimming all the while. It was the second best kiss she had ever had, right after the one he had given her when he had gotten the chalice from the goblin.

She pushed him away a little and he frowned. She needed space, though, to sheathe her blades and she didn't want to cut him because he was too close. As soon as her hands were free and it was easier to keep her head above the surface, she didn't hesitate. Their lips touched again and she sighed. And for the first time for _centuries_ she felt as if she had found what she had been looking for for all this time. This was where she belonged, to the pirate captain Kunkka. And she wondered how she could have been so blind not to see it the three months she had been with him.

The sloppiness of the kiss was only slightly better now that Slithice could use her arms and the Admiral started to laugh. The sadness had vanished from his face, only the dark shadows under his eyes hinted at sleepless nights and wearing days.

"It is really, really, _really_ good to have you back again. You want to join me on my ship and tell me why you came back?"

"I think I would like that, yes. I could already be on board but you gave me no chance to climb the ladder."

"Well, they were too slow so I decided to take a faster way. And I wouldn't give you time to change your mind and swim away again."

The smile on his face wavered. The Naga Siren must have hurt him when she had left him like that. For three months she had only thought about guarding her own heart, not once considering that there might be a second heart involved, a heart which was guarded by no one. Not once had she thought about this heart and how it might hurt the man it belonged to when she left. She had been really selfish, there.

"I'm sorry. My mind wasn't exactly involved when I left your ship the last time."

Before she could say more, and there was definitely more to say about that matter, he shook his head and interrupted her.

"You came back, that's all that matters. The water is getting cold." He grimaced.

So she postponed everything else that was on her mind until later and together they climbed onto the ship.

The whole crew was gathered and they greeted her when she pushed her body over the railing. It wasn't easy to climb a ladder with a fish tail but she did manage. Kunkka was right behind her. He was chattering and his first officer gave him his clothes. He pulled the shirt over his head but it got stuck on his wet skin.

Slithice made no move to help him but used the time where he was still mostly naked to let her gaze travel over his body. She knew that he was strong but this was the first time where she could see his muscled body like that. Her mouth went dry and her fingers itched to touch his skin. She bit her lip and kept watching. When he grabbed his pants he looked at her and their eyes met. He could probably read her feelings from her face because he grinned from ear to ear.

He dressed hastily and as soon as he had his boots on he grabbed his remaining things with one hand and the Naga's arm with the other and steered her around the forecastle.

"I thought we would go to your cabin?" she asked, though she didn't care where they were.

"Yeah, I wanted to go there but I don't trust myself completely and I might jump you and don't stop touching you for the next weeks. So this seems like the more appropriate place."

He dropped his things and hugged her. Slithice relaxed and snuggled close, enjoying the warmth coming from his body. He was all around her, his big frame surrounding her. She took a deep breath and his scent, already so familiar, made her head spin a little. She closed her eyes, completely lost in Kunkka. It had been the right decision to come back. She would have never been happy without the Admiral for the rest of her life. She had lost her heart to him and now her body wanted to be as close as possible as well. She just wondered why she had even thought of never coming back to him. It was so obvious now, that this was her place and that she only wanted to be with him.

"I really thought I had lost you." Kunkka's voice was muffled against her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you. You always seem so strong, it never even occurred to me that I might be able to hurt you."

She could feel him smiling against her skin. "Yeah, well, that definitely is my intent. I'm a pirate after all. But why did you come back?"

Her heart beat faster suddenly. Did she want to tell him the truth? It would make her unbelievably vulnerable and she wasn't so sure if she wanted to be vulnerable in front of the most feared pirate captain in the world. He might take the heart she had given him and crush it.

But with the next breath she took she could smell him again, leather, wind and salt, and the underlying uniqueness that was him. The salt was stronger, since he was still wet from his jump into the sea, but it was all the same nonetheless. And it soothed her. So she took all the courage that she had. She pushed herself a little away from him, just so far that she could look into his eyes. Another deep breath.

"I came back, because I realized that I didn't want to live without you. I have restored my honour among the Slithereen Guard but there was nothing keeping me in the depths. I just felt lonely and cold and unhappy. Even before I left you I knew that I loved you, but I thought I could leave it behind when I was with the Slithereen again. It was not only that I couldn't forget you so easily, I didn't want to. Because you are the best that has happened to me for centuries and I…" She didn't get any further, before the Admiral interrupted her.

"You love me?"

"Well, yeah, I think I said that."

The most brilliant smile she had ever seen appeared on his face. It took her breath away.

"Oh, Siren, you can't imagine how happy that makes me."

"Slithice. My name is Slithice."

"Really?" She nodded and he laughed. "You didn't tell me your real name in three months you were on my ship?"

"I didn't want to get too much involved with you. By not telling you my name I tried to retain some barrier between us."

He cupped her face with his hands. "Oh woman, that has not gone very well now, has it?" He was still smiling at her and Slithice couldn't help herself, he just had to smile back. It was so nice to have him with her again. "No it hasn't."

"And just so you know: I love you, too. I was completely fascinated by you after the town war we won against you. And my fascination has grown with each minute you were with me."

His thumbs traced over her lips and then her cheekbones. Her lips parted under his touch and her gaze dropped to his mouth. "If you want to kiss me, go on. I don't mind." He murmured, his face only inches away from hers.

She stretched towards him, his hands warm on her face, and their lips touched. His mouth was warm and soft and when his tongue licked across her bottom lip, her hands circled around his waist and slipped under his shirt to touch his broad back. It was the first time she touched his skin and it was a wonderful sensation. Her hands roamed up and down, one wandered around to the front to trace the muscles on his stomach.

Kunkka made a deep humming sound that vibrated though her body and made her shudder. He pressed her body harder against his and softly bit her lip. She sighed and opened her mouth, permitting him access. It was pure pleasure, his mouth, his tongue, his hands on her body, skimming over her skin.

All rational thought fled from her mind and she consisted only of the sensations he brought.

Heavily breathing he released her and took a step back. Slithice blinked a few times to bring the world back into focus. They were still standing in front of the forecastle.

"So you will stay with me?" he asked.

"Yes. If you want me to, I will stay with you."

A deep chuckle. "Of course I want you to stay. I've wanted so from the first time you stepped onto my ship. Why do you think it took us three months to get to that damn goblin. I really hoped I could make you fall for me in that time so you wouldn't want to leave me."

"You didn't need three months for that. I just needed to realize that I could be with you though I'm a Slithereen."

"I'm glad you realized that. Though you _do_ know that it took you awfully long. Now come." He took her hand and together they rounded the forecastle. The crew was working but from the way they all stopped when they saw them, it had probably mostly been for pretence.

"The Naga Siren will stay on this ship. She is my mate from now on and I want you all to give her the same respect you give me. Now we will go to my cabin and I don't want to be disturbed for anything, except the ship is about to sink. Any questions?"

The sailors shook their heads. They exchanged pointed looks, some of them smiling, and headed back to their work.

"I am your mate now?" Slithice said as they walked over the deck.

"Yes. And just so you know, I am very possessive. You belong to me now."

The Naga Siren smiled. "I don't mind, as long as I have the right to be possessive, too."

In his cabin he turned towards her, both hands framing her face. "You can be as possessive as you want. I am yours. Forever."

"Forever." She agreed.


End file.
